


Bella on Ice

by HypersomniacGrad



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: Beca is one hell of a gay mess, Comedy, F/F, Romance, Yuri on Ice AU, figure skating, rated M for some hot spring shenanigans, there may be a strip dance contest somewhere
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:35:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 46,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21827578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HypersomniacGrad/pseuds/HypersomniacGrad
Summary: On the verge of retirement, skater Beca Mitchell meets two skaters who rekindle her competitive fire – her idol, the unbeatable Chloe Beale, and her idol’s old rival, Aubrey Posen.
Relationships: Chloe Beale/Beca Mitchell
Comments: 136
Kudos: 138





	1. The Grand Prix Final of Tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca Mitchell finishes in last place at her first Grand Prix Final. Depressed by her string of losses, she unofficially retires. Having just graduated from college, she returns home to her family's hot spring resort, Utopia, just outside of Vail, after being away for 4 years. As skating legend Chloe Beale wins her 5th consecutive World Championship, Beca attempts Chloe’s routine as her swan song to figure skating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t stay away for too long so I have resurfaced with a Bechloe Yuri on Ice fic. It may also be because I just witnessed one amazing performance after another from the ladies Grand Prix finals this year so I was feeling inspired. There may be more reasons (which I’ll mention on the last chapter update of this fic), but consider this a Christmas gift, yeah? :D
> 
> Disclaimer: I might not finish this until sometime in January, but this is a story I love so it will be finished on a timely manner! There are also some notable changes with who the characters are based on, but otherwise, the fic will be close to the anime story.  
> I don’t own pitch perfect.

Beca Mitchell doesn’t cry.

Well, at least not in front of anyone who could see.

She’s gotten so used to staying tough, putting on a tough act and carrying on. A skater’s life was told by the amount of times they got up after they had fallen down, carry on, and put on a good show. It was more than just a deep connection to music, it was about coming into life once the blade hits the ice, embracing that sense of freedom that only comes when their skating your best skate.

But a skater’s life was also told by the heartbreaks, the near misses, that one jump they messed up, that one time they fell when they were so close to the dream.

The Grand Prix was one of the most prestigious stages in the world of figure skating. To secure a ticket to the finals, you have to win or at least place on the podium and accumulate enough points if you fail to do so in the two competitions you are assigned to in the series. Beca barely squeaked by this year, but at twenty three years old, by some miracle and against the dime a dozen skating hopefuls and Russian protégés, she did.

Only to mess up and flop under the brightest lights of one of the biggest arenas for their sport.

So what if she was crying in a bathroom stall? She kept under rotating her spins and messing up her jumps, falling flat on her face a good three times with her free skate. She didn’t even want to remember the disaster that was her short program the other night.

Her phone buzzed with the latest news, alerting her of the outcome of the finals as it happened. Her idol, Chloe Beale, had won her fifth straight gold medal at the Grand Prix finals, beating her old time rival Aubrey Posen who landed the silver medal. Newcomer Luisa from Germany had made it to third place, narrowly beating the former Russian Olympic gold medalist.

Beca had no doubt the performances were the definition of perfection. She went straight to the bathroom after her performance, dodging interviewers as she left the kiss and cry with her coach. It was disappointing, to say the least. Her Grand Prix debut turning out the way it did. All eyes were on the three Americans who displaced the hot fresh talent coming from Russia and Japan that year, and in return, the pressure got to Beca and she crumbled to dust.

She didn’t even want to read the online comments about her.

This trip would have been the dream. She didn’t think she would win gold, not even silver, but she had hoped to impress and maybe get the bronze, properly meet Chloe, and proudly tell her that she had been the person who inspired such a wonderful performance out of her.

Now, Beca’s only choice was to come back to the US in shame, maybe salvage her season with the Worlds in March.

Beca stayed in the bathroom a little longer than she had intended. The award ceremony had concluded by the time she tried to pull herself together. But every missed call from back home in Colorado had her crying in tears. It hurt each time her family called and told her she still did best her best and that they had faith that she would do better the next time. It hurt to feel like such an imposter, because she didn’t quite see herself as a world class figure skater at the moment. She didn’t feel like she even deserved her spot at the finals after the train-wreck of a performance she had earlier that night.

She was trying to control her breathing and calm down when her father sent her another message telling her it would be okay, it wasn’t that bad, and that he was incredibly proud of her no matter how it turned out. Her mother would have been proud as well.

A new wave of tears overcame her at the thought of her mom who had passed away years ago, the first person to ever coach her as a child, the one who built up her confidence when she first decided to skate.

The quiet sobs uncontrollably escaped her lips as Beca tried to fight the terrible thoughts that crept from the deepest recesses of her mind. That’s when the door to her stall was kicked open by an incredibly grumpy Aubrey Posen, her silver medal on display around her neck as she looked quite peeved at Beca Mitchell.

“Would you quiet down already?! Do you have any idea how uncomfortable it was to be in the next stall with all the sobbing?” Aubrey complained. “If you’re gonna be such a baby, why don’t you just quit. Mitchell, right? You have no right to call yourself a skater if you’re more fragile than the ice.”

Beca stopped crying right then and there, Aubrey’s words stunning her silent as she watched the blonde figure skater harrumph her way out the bathroom, mumbling more and more complaints under her breath before she left.

Maybe she had a point.

Maybe the reason she had failed so terribly in the finals was because she shouldn’t have been a figure skater in the first place. She was just a fraud.

Beca was pretty much on auto pilot after that. Having been so depressed the night before, she drank her way through her sorrows during the GPF banquet. While waiting for her flight back home, she had mulled over the decision of just calling it quits now and retire. She landed on deciding after the Word Championships, letting her performance in that competition decide.

She didn’t know how to feel after her horrible Grand Prix experience this year. She felt even more ashamed when she caught a glimpse of both Aubrey and Chloe at the airport being followed by fans everywhere while their coach and her coaching team tried to keep them at bay. Aubrey was pretty much professional, and Chloe was quite warm with her interactions. She watched from out far as the red headed beauty, the defending champion, entertained each and every one of her fans. At one point Beca noticed Chloe’s eyes landing on her. She gave her a bright smile, “Would you like a picture for the road?” Chloe asked her.

But Beca felt nothing but the shame and sadness that had surrounded her. This was not how she thought her first interaction with Chloe would be.

So Beca ran, she ran as fast as possible and hid in another bathroom stall before her flight.

Aubrey was right, how could she call herself a skater when she couldn’t find the strength to stand back up now that she had fallen from a great height. Beca thought she could finally reach the pinnacle of her sport, or at least the best she could ever reach, when gravity came calling her back down to earth.

With a heavy heart, Beca reaffirmed her decision.

She would give her all during the Worlds, and if that wasn’t enough, then it would be time to hang up her skates for good.

* * *

It had been three months since the disastrous Worlds. Jesse was restless as she waited for her best friend at the airport. Jesse had known Beca since they were five. He was there when she first picked up her skates, and decided to dedicate her life into becoming a figure skater. Jesse, while not a skater himself, had always been there by her side, cheering her on. The only time they’ve been apart was when Beca left for college, attending Barden University where her father once taught. She had just finished her degree at Barden, choosing not to attend graduation, still feeling down from the results of the World Championships where she finished last.

Beca wouldn’t speak about it over the phone.

And it would appear she wouldn’t speak about it in person either. Upon arriving, Beca talked to Jesse about anything and everything under the sun. In fact, it was the first time Jesse has heard Beca talk as much, though most of them were senseless chattering. It had been so uncharacteristically Beca that Jesse quickly grew very concerned.

Beca had a warm welcome home. Her father, who now ran their family’s hot spring inn – Beca’s grandfather had once gone on a so-called life changing trip to Kyushu Japan that he decided to open a Japanese onsen inspired hot spring inn in their small town just outside of Vail – and he tried to make home feel as relaxing for her as possible. Her step-mother, who Beca rarely ever talked to, also doubled up her duties of making Beca feel at home as much as possible.

Beca went through the motion of things as best she could. Jesse could see that there was most definitely something off with her best friend.

That night, during a late night visit to Beca’s mom’s grave, he found out why.

“I decided, it’s time,” Beca had said with a finality in her tone.

“Time for what?” Jesse clarified.

Beca did her best to put her best fake smile but she didn’t give him a response.

The next day, Jesse spent most of his morning at the skating rink where Beca used to skate and train. The rink was owned by one of the Mitchell’s family friends, and was now being ran by their daughter, Cynthia Rose, and her wife, Denise. This was Jesse’s attempt at rustling up the cavalry.

“What’s going on, J-man?” Amy asked, incredibly tired from a long night’s shift as she dragged her feet into Cynthia Rose’s office, the last one to have arrived. Amy ran and proudly own the best bar in town, the Bella’s, which was typically open until two in the morning.

Jesse cleared her throat, wanting to get his friend’s opinion, when Denise noticed Beca knocking on the door.

“What are you guys doing?” Beca asked suspiciously. Jesse had a dance studio of his own to run, Amy hated mornings, and while it wasn’t inconspicuous for Cynthia Rose or Denise to be in the office, it was weird that no one was manning the front desk.

“Beca!” Denise greeted, doing her best to stir the topic clear of what Jesse could have said, “We were just wondering when you’d be walking in. We’re not so busy this time of year, at least not like back when you still trained here, so we don’t really open too early during the week. Weekends are still great for business though.”

Beca simply nodded, accepting the answer. Even their family inn was experiencing the same trouble. It was hard to keep up with the bigger resorts that served as their competition.

“Oh, well, since you’re all here and the rink isn’t busy…” Beca started to say, motioning for them to follow her to the rink.

Jesse watched as Beca put her skate on, Cynthia Rose making a comment about how it’s nice to see her skating on home ice again. Meanwhile, Amy and Denise compared notes on Beca, the two noticing that something was off about her.

Beca pulled out her phone and connected it to the speaker before heading onto the ice. The rink was smaller in comparison to the ones Beca now skated in. Theirs was a humble rink after all.

When the music started to play and Beca started to skate, Jesse quickly realized that Beca had intended to skate Chloe’s own free program. Jesse watched in awe as he watched firsthand how much her best friend had grown, becoming quite an amazing skater in her own right. The jumps were mostly doubles and triples, not as ambitious as the quads that Chloe had mastered over the last five years, catching up to the Russian skaters who dared revolutionize women’s figure skating, but Beca skated cleanly nonetheless.

If Jesse were being honest, he was mesmerized by her performance. Beca always connected well to the music, allowing her to move gracefully on the ice. Anyone who watched would feel the exact emotions the music and her skating conveyed.

“She’s all grown up, huh? Our little shortstack,” Cynthia Rose had commented, not being to tear her eyes away from Beca’s performance.

Jesse smiled, it would seem that he was worried over nothing.

However, when the performance had ended, and the music had faded away, the words that came out of Beca’s mouth had him very concerned.

“Thanks guys, I… well, I wanted to show you all that skate at the very least before I make my announcement official in the coming days. I figured what better of a swan song of sorts than to do a performance that could best honor the gal who inspired me to become a figure skater myself and give a clean skate I can be proud of in front of the people who had supported me relentlessly throughout the years.”

“Wait, Shawshank, what do you mean?” Amy asked, using Beca’s beloved nickname from all the time she got in trouble for skipping school to practice skating when they were younger.

“I’m retiring,” Beca announced.

Jesse was stunned silent, Cynthia Rose and Denise were quick to express their own thoughts on the matter, encouraging Beca to give it one more go. They weren’t lying when they said that Beca was quite amazing.

But Beca would hear none of it, she had made up her mind.

Jesse watched as Beca left, still talking with Cynthia Rose and Denise who still tried to remind her about her journey, about everything she has given to figure skating, because damn it, that girl has given her whole heart out to the sport. Jesse had wanted to say the same thing, however, he was too frozen, deeply rooted to where he stood, as he felt the heartache that Beca had undoubtedly felt herself with the decision she had just made.

One bad season, that was it.

Well, maybe not all of it.

Beca always struggled in big competitions because she would get too anxious, too nervous, and start to second guess herself.

That one bad season littered with his worst performances was also the one with her best skates. If she’s as inconsistent as she had been, it would just be one heartbreaking defeat after the other, and Jesse could only empathize with her. Beca was as ambitious as they come. Whether or not she says it, she wants to be the best. At least one day.

She had often stated she’d like to reach Chloe’s level one day.

But with the new competition that comes with every year, and the new skating revolution with the quads in the ladies’ competition, it wasn’t hard for Jesse to guess that Beca’s faith in herself was wavering.

And in that moment, Jesse couldn’t think of anything to do to help save his best friend from the shadows of doubt crippling her, weighing her down, and drowning out her hope and confidence.

 _If only she could see what we see in her,_ Jesse thought.

As he was wracking his brain for any idea, he then heard Amy sniggering right next to him, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“There’s no way we’re gonna let you give up on your dreams that easily,” Amy announced, more to herself, in impish smile on her, with her eyes fixed on her phone.

“Amy!” Jesse then exclaimed, quickly deducing what she had done.

“Oh, don’t worry about it J-man. The methods are crude, but it will undoubtedly get results,” she grinned, hiding her phone away.

And now Jesse was worried about two things.

But he could only hope for the best.


	2. Enter the Genius

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Beca Mitchell unofficially retires as a figure skater, she skates her idol’s recent free skate at the World Championships to say goodbye to figure skating. Her performance gets secretly recorded and uploaded to the internet by one of her best friends, Amy, and the video goes viral. Unbeknown to Beca, the video reaches Chloe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here is chapter 2 because I'm feeling a little inspired. It's a little bit shorter than the previous chapter, but it's just, it is "precious" is all I can promise. Enjoy! :)
> 
> This is sooo gonna be different from the usual feel of my fics… especially because of one particular scene, hehehe XD

Chloe was sulking by her kitchen counter, her cup of tea all but forgotten as she racked her brain for some form inspiration. It was a bright sunny day in the city of New York, with birds chirping on her balcony. It was the epitome of the perfect summer's day. Chloe should be heading to the rink soon, planning her routine for the new skating season as she defends her title on multiple competitions for the fifth time.

But nothing. She had absolutely nothing, no idea, so spark, nothing. Chloe loved to surprise her fans, to thrill the audience each season with a freshly choreographed skate, doing something unexpected, something they couldn't quite imagine. She loved pulling it off each time, living for the cheers, but more importantly, for doing something that would undoubtedly leave a mark on the skating world forever.

She's done it five times in a row. Now, it felt like there was nothing new to be done. She can no longer be unpredictable. Chloe felt a little lost because of it.

Chloe chuckled at the thought that the upcoming season may very well be her very competitive best friend's year to win it all.

As she mused about how she would feel not winning the gold for once since her five year winning streak, she received a message from one of her other skating friends, Stacie. Curiously enough, it was a link to some YouTube video of her free skate performance. But more than the video, it was the message it came with that piqued Chloe's interest.

_Stacie: You're gonna wanna see this, it's spectacular ❤_

Chloe grabbed her mug, adjusted the volume on her phone to the maximum level, and settled down her couch. Just as she pressed play, her dog, an adorable poodle named Mocha because of the color of him curly fur, sprawled over her body on the couch. She barely even noticed him as her eyes were instantly drawn to the skater in the video. Not her, but some girl she remembered from the previous Grand Prix final.

Beca Mitchell, the curious little bundle of anxiety of a girl who came in last. But something about her was quite captivating, from the way she skated to easily she lost herself to the music. It was completely different from how she skated in their previous competitions.

Chloe smiled as she hit replay on the video.

In that instant, Chloe knew exactly what she had to do next.

* * *

Beca woke up to a thousand notifications on her phone the next day. For a minute or two, she thought that her now ex-coach, the once upon a time youngest male figure skating champion, Benji Applebaum, had slipped up about her plans to retire. In a way, Beca would have found some kind of relief from that. She wouldn't have to type up the words and post her decision on her social media accounts – which, honestly, she's still so surprised why she has thousands of followers in the first place – and the dread and anxiety about what would be said about her retirement would ebb away. She wouldn't have to see notifications pop up from comments or likes, no retweets, nothing.

The second thought that popped into her mind was that her friends were spamming her with "Don't give up on your dreams!" messages, from gifs to inspirational quotes. They had a lengthy discussion the entire day after her little swan song of a performance yesterday morning, trying to convince her to change her mind about her retirement.

Unfortunately for her, that wasn't the case.

In fact, the reason for the notifications was something more embarrassing than having to publicly say that she officially gives up and a bit more difficult to deal with than overly supportive friends.

Of the thousands of notifications, her eyes initially landed on a text message from her former training mate back in Georgia, Flo, congratulating her for rekindling her passions in skating. Beca was confused by the comment, to say the least, but as soon as she opened the link Flo sent along with the message, she didn't have to wonder why.

Beca dropped her phone, her cheeks staining red as she buried herself underneath her sheets. If she could die from embarrassment, she would in that moment.

A video of her attempting to skate Chloe's winning free skate was posted online. It even had so many likes! Still, Beca couldn't attempt to even look at the comments section, not wanting to know what the world thinks. All she could focus on was that Flo had seen the video. She could only guess that the rest of her fellow skaters around the world had seen it too.

Which would mean that, as much as Beca hated the thought, Chloe would have seen the video.

She would have stayed in bed, tossing and turning the entire day, with the knowledge that the video was out. But instead, something did manage to take her attention a little bit away from the thoughts of the world knowing she was audacious enough to even try and emulate the one and only Chloe Beale.

The thought was enough to get her out of bed and start marching out of her room – which was one of the rooms in their family inn, not wanting to impose on living with her father and step-mother at their main house right next to the hot springs.

"Well, well, Beca, I heard you're the talk of the town," Luke, their manager, commented as she walked past him the entrance. It was a well-meaning comment, Beca knew that, but it did make her feel falter a bit with every step she took.

 _No, you can't focus on the video right now, Mitchell. You have to focus on the person who undoubtedly took it. Only one person would dare,_ Beca thought to herself as she sprinted across town to reach the residence of her other best friend, Amy.

Beca started pounding on Amy's door with both her hands. She didn't care if she was a morning person or not, Amy had some explaining to do.

"Geez, Shawshank, what's the emergency?" Amy asked, sounding incredibly grumpy when she opened the door.

"What's the emergency? WHAT'S THE EMERGENCY?!" Beca exclaimed as she shoved her phone into Amy's face, the video of her skate already up.

"Whoa! You've gotten a million views in 24 hours! That's pretty impressive Shawshank!"

"That's what you say?!" Beca then said. "Amy! Why did you post the video? Heck, why did you take it?"

Amy smiled, feigning innocence. "I don't know what you mean, Shawshank."

"Amy!"

"Fine, fine. You got me," she admitted. "But in my defense, I only took the video because I wanted you to see how amazing you are, then you go and announce you're retiring and, well, I needed to prove to you that the world would have to disagree with that decision. It's not time to hang up your skates Beca, the world would be disappointed to hear that news if you did. I know I would."

"Posting my video without my permission is still not okay," Beca then said, before launching into full panic mode.

At some point during what felt like an hour-long session of Beca unloading her deepest fears and thoughts, Jesse arrived and joined them.

Beca never had siblings. Jesse, Amy, Cynthia Rose, and Denise were the closest thing she had. They met back in grade school, Amy having migrated in from Australia with her mom, joining their ragtag group of friends when Beca was seven.

During that time, she had seen Chloe, who was four years older than she was, perform in junior competitions around the globe. The redhead had quickly made a name for herself, with the future of American figure skating safe in her hands. Beca's parents had always loved ice skating, and they took her on her first lessons as early as she was four. But it was watching Chloe, that first time she had seen the redhead grace the ice, that sparked something inside of her.

Watching Chloe skate gave birth to a dream within Beca to one day reach her idol. Skate with her, or skate a performance she could be proud to say was inspired by her. She wanted to reach the same level Chloe did, become a worthy opponent someday. She even got the same dog as she did and named her Vanilla, after the color of her long curls.

Soon, her mom started informally coaching her before getting in contact with Benji who decided to retire earlier than Beca know had decided to due to an injury that had plagued him for at least three years before he finalized his decision.

Beca's senior debut was supposed to be promising, with her mom and Benji's support. With her friends constantly cheering her on, but her mother had fallen ill and passed away. Vanilla died soon after, due to the sticky buns her father made – something her own grandfather used to make – getting stuck in her throat.

Misery littered in Beca's performances soon after that. She used to make the podium, although only ever reaching third as the highest place she could make, in her junior career. She was what she would call average in her senior career, not the best but not the worst.

It was the idea of one day possibly gaining Chloe's attention by winning or placing high in a major competition such as the Grand Prix that kept her going. But after her recent display, Aubrey Posen's words haunted her every day. Self-doubt had been winning over, she wasn't a true figure skater. Just a random dreamer who believed she deserved something more than she ever got. In the end, she felt like a fool thinking that she could meet her idol on the same playing field.

After a very long talk with both Amy and Jesse, Beca came to two realizations. The first was that her friends truly did love her unconditionally, although it didn't always come of that way with their methods. Amy sounded incredibly apologetic about the video, but she did explain that she only did it because they didn't want Beca to give up on herself. They still believed in her, even when she's stopped doing so herself.

The second was that on days like this, she felt like she didn't deserve them. She was at her worst, after all. But instead of getting discouraged, Beca did find a way to reignite her passion. At least part of it. She had to get up after the fall, if only for her friends.

That's how she decided that instead of drastically quitting from the world of figure skating all together, she would take a year or two off – to be on hiatus, and re-evaluate things. At the end of it, if she decided to leave the competitive world of skating forever, then she would still find a way to stick around the ice. Maybe consider teaching skating or coaching someone else with greater potentials than she did.

Either way, she would fight to get her love for figure skating back.

It felt like her whole world was falling apart, as she felt more and more eyes on her. Beca was never really good with dealing with the pressure of the competition. The closer she got to her goal, the more she felt like a fraud. The more she second-guessed herself, and lost confidence. She had a good coach in Benji, and great support from training mates like Flo. But no one could compare the support she got with the people back home. Jesse decided to stay and pursue a career as a dancer after high school, both Cynthia Rose and Denise stayed local at a small college to help with running the skating rink too. Amy had a cushy inheritance from her estranged father, and decided to stick around and try her hand with different ventures, with the bar which she had bought and renovated from a previous owner, becoming the most successful of them all.

Beca missed them. She took a year in between high school and attending college to focus on improving as a skater and another year after her mother died. At twenty three, Beca felt incredibly lost, but with her friends, she found herself grounded. Their unwavering faith in her served as her compass in the complicated maze that was life. It was overwhelming on most days, but she was nonetheless thankful for it. Only Jesse and Amy could ever talk her down the ledge and avoid making rash decisions.

That, and well, they're the only ones who could actually be successful at distracting her from the thought that the video of her skating Chloe's free skate was somewhere out there for the world to see.

In fact, they had been successful in doing just that. Beca was just starting to feel calm again when Cynthia Rose came into Amy's home, practically crashing inside with how forceful she opened the door.

"You okay, CR?" Amy asked, using Cynthia Rose's preferred nickname.

"How have you not heard?!" Cynthia Rose exclaimed, fumbling for her phone in her jeans and handing it to Jesse who sat next to Amy on her couch. Beca leaned over from the armchair she had been occupying to read the new headline that had sent one Cynthia Rose flying into Amy's house.

"WHAT?!" Beca remarked, not believing what she had just read.

_**SKATING GODDESS CHLOE BEALE RETIRES, ANNOUNCES HER FUTURE AS DISGRACED FIGURE SKATER, BECA MITCHELL'S, NEW COACH** _

"They didn't have to be so rude! You're no disgraced skater," Amy huffed as a comment.

"That's your take away from this?" Jesse then asked in disbelief. "Why? How? Why? When could this have possibly happened?"

Beca looked stunned, reading and rereading the headline before her. "I… what?"

"So you don't know anything about this, little bit?" Cynthia Rose asked her.

"Yes, this is the look of someone who knew," Beca deadpanned. "I've barely even said a word to Chloe Beale… Maybe this is a joke? Some elaborate prank in response of the video Amy posted?"

"Ah, so you're the culprit…" Cynthia Rose commented, shaking her head at Amy before clearing her throat. "It's no prank, Mitchell. Not based on the amount of reporters outside the inn."

"What do you mean?" Jesse asked, a little lost.

"Oh, they followed Chloe all the way from the airport."

Jesse dropped Cynthia Rose's phone with that comment just as Beca's jaw dropped.

"Wh-what did you just say?" Beca dared ask, just so that she was sure with what she heard.

"The reporters followed Chloe all the way from the airport, Shawshank," Amy then jumped in to say. "That's what I heard."

Cynthia Rose sighed. "Apparently her flight arrived early this morning," she went on to explain. "Beca, she's at the inn."

Beca sat frozen still for a good minute or two to process the information she had just heard.

Chloe Beale, the skater who always found a new way to dazzle the crowd, shocks the world by retiring and announcing that she's Beca's new coach.

In a way, Chloe was just living up to her dream, never failing to surprise anyone, especially Beca. Since she first saw her skating, it was a never-ending chain of surprises with Chloe.

Without a word, Beca found the urge to run back to the inn, wanting to see the truth for herself. She took a shortcut only she and her friends knew about through an old playground that led to their backyard, allowing her to avoid whatever media ruckus there might have been outside the front of the inn. From there, she took an old winding path through their garden that led to back entrance, mostly sued by her dad, to the inn.

"Beca Mitchell, you've got some explaining to do," Luke teased, upon catching a glimpse of her sneaking in. He looked rather amused, holding onto the leach of a rather adorable and familiar looking poodle with long light brown curls.

_She… she really is here…_

"Where?" It was all that Beca could muster to ask Luke.

"Went straight to the hot springs. She said she's never tried the onsen experience before," he replied with a chuckle.

Beca nodded and tried to contain herself. She both wanted to run towards the hot springs to see if Chloe was really there and run away from the hot springs, not sure if this is what she wanted.

It all felt like a dream, and she was still trying to make sense of it all.

With her grandfather's obsession for an authentic onsen experience, Beca Mitchell found herself marching through a public bath house and into the hot spring where she found the one and only living legend of the American ladies figure skating Chloe Beale having just settled into the warm waters.

Beca's jaws nearly dropped once more but she tried to muster up the strength to address her idol instead. "Ch-Chloe… y-you're really, you're really here… but why?"

Chloe met her confused gaze with a determined look, standing up from the hot spring in all her naked glory, wading through the water to approach Beca. She grabbed her hands once she was within reasonable distance and smiled, all while Beca fought the awkward energy that surrounded her, trying not to get flustered.

 _Look at her eyes, Mitchell, just focus on her eyes,_ she kept telling herself, fixing her gaze straight into Chloe's soft ocean blue eyes, making her heart melt in the process. Beca didn't know what to do with herself at that point but she soldiered on, Chloe's eyes being the only thing she could allow herself to stare at.

"Beca Mitchell," Chloe started to say as she pulled onto Beca. For her part, Beca kept her feet firmly on the ground, bending towards Chloe to meet her face to face as the redhead pulled her near. "Starting today, I'm you're coach," she went on to announce.

But Beca could hardly hear a word she said. Her brain was overheating, processing all the information being thrown at her. Just yesterday, she had found herself convinced about retiring. Now, she had Chloe Beale, standing in front of her, wearing absolutely nothing.

 _FOCUS ON THE EYES, MITCHELL,_ she kept yelling inside her head on top of it all.

"I'll make you win the Grand Prix Final," she managed to hear Chloe say as the redhead threw in a wink for good measure.

Beca felt her head swirling, her heart pounding as she simply stared at Chloe in response.

The genius who had nothing but surprises for Beca now placed her in a situation she never thought she'd find herself in, leaving her absolutely speechless.

This was not how she thought Chloe Beale would enter her life at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed a taste of the so-called hot spring shenanigans, more to come ;)
> 
> Anyways, the anime holds a special place in my heart. It's just an incredibly sweet and heartwarming story overall. With only 12 episodes, I highly recommend you give it a try. It has amazing English dubbing as well, you won't regret it, I promise!
> 
> I'll give a schpill on who Beca and company are based on in the OG anime on the next update too :)


	3. Drama at Utopia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With her new position as Beca’s coach, Chloe lives with Beca and prepares a training regiment for her to get back into shape. Meanwhile, Chloe's abrupt departure to Colorado upsets her coach and her long time best friend and rival, Aubrey Posen, who disapproves of her taking a season off from her skating career. Aubrey hunts down Chloe to make her follow through on the promise she made that she will choreograph a program for her next season and drag her out of retirement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Hey guys! Here's the next chapter :)
> 
> …there's a reason why this fic is rated M… but it's not what you think!
> 
> I was gonna upload this last night, but I wasn't feeling well and decided to sleep it off. As a result, I didn't finish Chloe's POV in time. So I'm uploading it now, fresh of the press of Microsoft Word!
> 
> Comments and reviews are always welcome! I hope you enjoy this AU.

If anyone would have told Beca that one day, Chloe Beale would come into her life and uproot everything she's ever known, she would have laughed. She would have maybe even called them delusional.

Except, that was what Chloe Beale did.

It had been a week since Chloe spontaneously moved to Colorado, and into their humble little onsen inspired inn. The first day she had been there was mostly spent by being in a state of shock as most of Beca's friends immediately warmed up to the thought that Chloe Beale was now a part of their merry little, and sometimes dysfunctional, family. While her friends, her dad, and her step-mom were quick to adjust to Chloe being around, Beca had to admit that seven days was not enough to reconcile with the fact that her idol was right there within her reach.

There was just so many things to get used to, and so little time to process anything. The constant media presence in their town, following them around, being one of them. But that paled in comparison to the rest of the things Beca had to get used to.

Chloe Beale was unlike anyone Beca had ever met.

After the incredibly awkward encounter with one very naked Chloe Beale in the public bath, Chloe immediately jumped into the business of Beca's coach. Beca was surprised with how prepared she was, already having notes on Beca's technical abilities and the strength and weaknesses of the components of her previous programs. "Since I saw the video, I immediately looked up Beca's previous performances," she had explained when Jesse made the same comment over dinner at the Mitchell household her first night.

That night, Beca discovered that while Chloe was quite bubbly and flirty at times – especially with the press – she was also focused and highly determined. Chloe wasted no time in commenting on Beca's hardly noticeable weight gain, forbidding her on getting on the ice until she's lost whatever weight she's gained and recover her fitness levels prior to the most recent Grand Prix Finals. In Beca's defense, while she did have metabolism, she did end up eating through her depressive state since the end of her disastrous decision. As a result, the past week was spend jogging around town – while Chloe led the way through their route on a bike! – hitting the studio with Jesse to work on Beca's form and restart her ballet classes, and the small gym in the Addam's skating rink, where Denise and Cynthia Rose took turns cheering her on.

Amy, who would usually be the instigator of Beca's rule breaking streak, was also uncharacteristically following strict orders, making sure that Beca didn't cheat on her diet. During Chloe's first night with them, the redhead had made the discovery of Beca's favorite food, Katsudon. Her grandfather had learnt the perfect recipe for the high calorie pork cutlet bowl during his life transforming trip to Japan and it quickly became Beca's favorite dish during her childhood.

"Yeah, she loves the thing! She'd eat it every night if she can," Cynthia Rose had commented over their dinner of pork cutlet bowls prepared to perfection by Beca's dad.

"But since Beca's metabolism surprisingly has a Katsudon limit, she ended up promising to only eat a bowl when she wins something," Denise had added.

Chloe had looked thoughtful for a minute as she watched Beca take another bite, "Then why are you eating one now? You haven't won anything, right?" she had asked. Beca stopped halfway through chewing, Chloe had asked it so innocently yet she knew, her new coach had started trying to reprimand her.

So for now, Beca bid adieu to her favorite food, no matter how difficult it had been.

Beca supposed though, that it was all for a good reason. She was tired, grumpy on some nights as she craved Katsudon, but the strict regimen she had was nothing compared to the other thing that Beca was trying to adjust to.

The first night Chloe spent at the inn, Beca quickly learned that Chloe Beale had no regard for personal boundaries.

Her nonchalance with standing in front of Beca in all her naked glory, even going so far as declaring that she was confident with all of _it_ , should have been her first clue.

After dinner that night, Chloe's things arrived at the inn. None of their standard rooms could fit all of it, so Beca's dad decided to let her have their presidential suite room, which happened to be across from Beca's own room at the inn. The rooms were pretty much designed to emulate the same simplistic designs of an authentic Japanese onsen resort. For that night, Chloe had to settle for setting her boxes aside, surrounding the middle of the room like some sort of barrier, while Beca helped her out with the tatami mat they used for sleeping. Chloe had been rather entertained as Beca spewed out apologies and promised that she would help her out get something from an Ikea or Target somewhere resembling a proper bed.

"Do you have a proper bed yourself?" Chloe had asked and Beca admitted that she's quite grown on sleeping the floor so she kept the design of the room as it is.

They had fallen into a comfortable silence after that. Beca was about to leave when Chloe called her back, telling her that since she hasn't won anything yet, then Chloe won't charge her either. At least, not until she actually wins something.

Beca simply nodded in agreement, not really sure on how to speak with Chloe just yet. Truth be told, she still didn't know how.

But then Chloe started rambling on and on about how she wanted to get to know Beca. That was when the invasion of privacy started, Chloe unwittingly crossing Beca's boundaries in the process and obliterating any wall she had tried to put up. "I want to know everything, Beca Mitchell. I want to know what makes you tick," she had announced. Chloe pulled her back into her room just as she was about to leave. She placed two of her fingers under Beca's chin, lifting it up and giving Beca no choice but to meet her ocean blue eyes. Her other free hand rested on Beca's shoulder.

As she went on to speak, Beca felt Chloe's fingers graze down her arm to hold her hand. Chloe took another step forward, her face dangerously close to Beca.

"If we're to have a relationship, we have to establish trust between us, Beca. So I want you to tell me all of it, okay? I want to know the music you love, or if there's a guy or girl you like. I need to know what makes you upset or happy. Got it?"

Beca had simply nodded then and all but tripped as she practically ran out of Chloe's room, face beet red, as she left Chloe feeling confused.

The next couple of days had been an increasingly infuriating mesh of emotions as Chloe kept on insisting on forming a bond with Beca. She had seemed sincere with the thought, but it was too much for Beca to take.

Chloe constantly made her feel like she was melting every time she had the chance to touch Beca. She would suddenly reach out her hand to check Beca's pulse to make sure she's actually okay when they were out on a run and Beca was out of breath. When the sore muscles hit, she started trying to give Beca a back rub, deft fingers managing to find each knot before Beca would freak out with the knowledge that Chloe Beale was actually touching her.

Then, dear God, there was the whole thing about her form and posture. Jesse had quite a wonderful evening as he watched them at his studio. Chloe claimed she wanted to see everything Beca could do, gauge her levels in everything. The dance studio was a perfect place for her to practice spins and jumps without being on ice. Whenever Chloe wanted to "correct" something, she would just reach out and touch Beca, fixing her limbs to how they should be in a certain pose or form. Her hands would often find their place on the small of Beca's back as Chloe kept reprimanding her from slouching, her hand found her chin quite often, lifting her head.

"You always look down, stop that." Chloe would often chastise.

In terms of Beca's ballet related skills, Chloe found no problem in resting her hands on Beca's legs and thighs, testing the limits of her flexibilty, whenever she would have Beca hold a pose or perform a routine or two. She claimed it was all to help her choreograph a well-suited program for her.

It didn't even end there.

The hot spring was the perfect place for Beca to relax any sore muscle. She wasn't as confident or shameless as Chloe was with her own nakedness but she was used to the nudity at the public baths. But when you throw in Chloe in the equation, and Beca found herself very much self-aware of her own body because Chloe wouldn't give up in trying to bond with her. It was especially made difficult by Chloe's attempts to give her another back rub or a deep massage to relax or tell her she would help stretch her muscles by trying to get Beca to pose again. All of the touching had been accompanied by lengthy lectures of whatever Beca was doing wrong, from angles or postures that she weren't holding properly. Soon, Chloe would find her hands on Beca's arms and thighs trying to fix what was wrong.

Beca, for her part, tried her best to concentrate on what she was doing all while trying, and sadly failing, from staring too much at Chloe's bare body. But can anyone really blame her for looking?

As if it hadn't already been too much, Luke had to notice the furiously red face that Beca had been sporting a lot recently.

"You've been spending a lot of time in the hot spring lately, Beca. You sure that the bath isn't causing you to boil?" Luke had teased.

"Oh, sorry. That was me. I can get carried away sometimes and I want Beca to improve quickly, so I've been helping her stretch out more." Chloe responded without giving him any context at all.

"Muscles! She meant she's helping me stretch out muscles for poses and forms and st-stuff!" Beca had piped up sounding like a complete and utter moron.

Luke had simply laughed it off, but behind Chloe's back, he most definitely enjoyed teasing Beca a little.

To top the cherry on top of Chloe's none existent boundaries, the redhead would try to constantly get Beca to do a sleep over. "Come on, Beca, let's sleep together tonight." Chloe would say while knocking on her door. "Sleep overs are a great way of getting to know someone!"

It always sent Beca into a panicked frenzy, making sure her room is clear of old posters or any evidence that would be a dead giveaway of how big of a fan of Chloe she really was. The first time it happened, Beca managed to take down any posters she had recently put up since she moved back home within a minute.

Beca fought hard against Chloe's insistence of a sleep over because she was sure that would be the end of her, her rather flimsy selection of intricate and lacy lingerie that she slept in aside. She would already get super tongue-tied when Chloe would ask her questions about her whenever she could. Combine that with the lingerie and Beca would implode.

"What do you wanna talk about?" Chloe had asked her during a break at the playground just after one lap of their daily runs. "I need to get to know you, Beca. Do you have a boyfriend? Is it Jesse?" she had asked and Beca all but comically shook her head spewing out one to many "No!"

Chloe had chuckled in response. "No boyfriend, then how about a girlfriend? Any lovers at all? I get it if you're being shy, you shouldn't be. Do you wanna talk about my past lovers, instead? Let's see…"

"NO!" Beca shouted, not entirely sure with what to feel about having any intimate knowledge of Chloe's private life. She may be famous, and she may have an active social media account for her fans and followers around the world, but Chloe was as private as they come when it comes to her personal life.

Beca rested in her bed that night, staring at her ceiling for at least an hour, trying to make sense of it all. She still had no idea why Chloe would abruptly quit her career to become her coach, and she most definitely didn't feel like she deserved it.

But somewhere deep inside her she felt warm, light.

She felt happy.

And while getting used to living with Chloe Beale was the definition of a challenging feat, Beca wouldn't give it up for anything else in the world.

* * *

There was something about Beca Mitchell, something that Chloe couldn't quite place a finger on. At times she told herself that it was the need to unravel the mystery behind the girl, find the star shrouding herself in darkness and let it shine.

But Chloe knew that there was something more to it. Because Beca Mitchell had a certain air of magic to her. In those moments where she thought no one was watching, Chloe could catch a glimpse of the real Beca underneath all the fear and uncertainty that weighed her down.

If that weren't true, then Chloe wouldn't even be there in the first place.

Chloe Beale had won everything there was to win. Her junior career alone was enough to make any skater envious. She never won a silver medal in her early years, all had been gold. Her senior career proved to be more challenging, and that challenge ignited a different kind of fire in Chloe. Against the fierce threat of competition that mostly came from Russia, Chloe's early years in her senior career was where she felt like she was molded to perfection. Every single silver medal she won had been a reminder of what else she had to improve in, and every gold medal she won from a hard won battle became her sweetest addiction. It resulted in a five year unbeaten reign in the world of figure skating. She even won an Olympic gold medal. If anything, the only disappointment she had in her illustrious career was not being able to defend her title in the last winter Olympics due to an injury.

But while winning was great feeling to have, it also felt rather empty once it had become easy. She had nothing next, nothing to fight for, nothing to ever want for. That's why she struggled in trying to figure out what she did next. She could easily choreograph another winning program, but the victory wouldn't have been as sweet as it once was. It would lack the sense of satisfaction she once had in winning.

She already lacked the inspiration from the lack of a real worthy opponent in her field. But watching Beca's attempt at skating her program, it sparked something deep inside Chloe, drawing her near.

"You're her idol, you know?" Jesse had told her one night while she joined him and Amy for a drink at Amy's bar. Since Beca was avoiding her at all cost whenever they had some down time, and making it difficult for Chloe to get to know her, she resorted to trying to get to know Beca through her best friends. "Seriously, we can't thank you enough. She was about to quit, but now it seems like she's starting to find herself again."

"Hey now, J-man, I'm partly to thank for that!" Amy had jumped in to say.

"No, no. What you did was still wrong," Jesse had given as a reply but nevertheless Chloe had thanked her. After all, the entertaining Australian may have just save not just Beca but Chloe too.

Retiring had never crossed Chloe's mind before. She feared that hanging up her skates for good would feel like death. But that wasn't the case at all, at least not with Beca.

She hasn't felt as alive as she did then in for at least a while now.

The upcoming Grand Prix season would definitely be an interesting one thanks to her abrupt departure as a skater. She would sure it would cause a bit of a stir. All thanks to her one simple action.

Helping Beca win only added to her excitement.

If only Beca would let her help her. She needed to understand who she was as a person if she wanted to help her break away from her shell and truly shine, but Beca made it difficult.

"She gets inside her head a lot, trying to figure out what the world wanted from her," Cynthia Rose commented. Chloe had been staring at Beca intently while watching her hit the ice for the first time, asking her to perform one of her more recent routines to help Chloe get an impression of what they needed to work on. "She's lucky, you know? My folks would let her practice to her heart's content here whenever the rink is free. I guess it allowed her the freedom to just skate freely and let it all go in the privacy of her sessions here. In exchange, we're always treated to her most spectacular performances."

Chloe looked thoughtful for a moment as she went on. "She's got the most fragile heart that I know, no matter how tough or aloof she may seem. When she stops to think, and only feels, my God, our little bit is amazing."

Chloe smiled, "So I guess that means I just I need to turn a shy girl into a princess on ice," she commented. The real question though was how?

How could she reach Beca and help her transform?

Just as she tried to mull over her options, Beca fell flat on her butt after attempting a jump.

"PATHETIC!" Chloe then heard before she could even comment on anything Beca had done. As she turned to face where those words even came from, Chloe found herself staring at her best friend, Aubrey Posen, marching into the skating rink, with her luggage in hand.

"You," Aubrey had said, stopping a foot short away from Chloe, "You selfish, forgetful, spoiled," she started to list while huffing out deep breaths.

"Hello to you too, Bree," she chirruped. "Come to enjoy the hot springs?"

Aubrey looked at Chloe stunned, possibly trying to mull over if she just asked her a serious question – which she did, the hot springs were fantastic and Chloe believed that Aubrey could benefit from that to destress and all.

"Do you have any idea what you've just done?" Aubrey immediately replied, not giving a damn about her happy mood or her question. "John's pissed!"

Chloe simply nodded. John Smith, former their coach, was reprimanding her all the way to the airport when she left, trying to convince her she was making a mistake and throwing her career away.

"I know you don't agree with my decision, but I just can't do what you say this time," Chloe firmly gave as a reply. "So just this once, I'm gonna have to disobey you."

"Just this once?!" John had exclaimed, as he chased after her at the airport. "You can't say that, not when you've never done a thing I've said in the first place!"

While there may have been some truth to it, Chloe really couldn't care any less. She simply knew she had to do this. More than anything else, she had to do it for herself. She was sure John would come around eventually.

"More than that, you-you left without saying goodbye! I'm gone for a week for vacation retreat in the middle of nowhere to de-stress and prepare for the next season, and I come back to you quitting!"

"Glad to see the meditation's working, Bree," Chloe replied with a chuckle, amused by her best friend's antics.

Aubrey groaned. "You have no idea how infuriating you are sometimes!"

"What's going on?" Beca then asked, skating closer to edge of the rink, right next to Chloe.

"And to top it all off, you've agreed to becoming the hobbit's coach!" Aubrey went on to complain.

"Hey!" Beca interjected, but it didn't stop Aubrey's complaints.

"Now what? You're choreographing a program for her? What about me? You promised me that when I came back, you'll choregraph an medal winning program for me!"

"Did I?" Chloe then remarked, asking herself more than asking Aubrey. She genuinely couldn't remember.

After a minute or two of looking at Chloe in disbelief, Aubrey sighed and started to calm herself down. "You-you forgot again, didn't you?" she asked and in response, Chloe sported her best apologetic smile.

"Well, that does sound like something I would do," Chloe admitted.

"That's it," Aubrey went on to say, "we're packing your things and I'm dragging you out of this stupid retirement plan of yours. We're going back to New York on the first flight available!"

Chloe was about to protest herself when she caught a glimpse of a change in Beca. She tried her best to school her face into a disaffected expression, that much Chloe could tell, but her eyes always betrayed her. A flash of worry and disappointment had flashed briefly in Beca's eyes that gave Chloe an idea.

"Okay, okay, how about this?" Chloe then proceeded to say. "I'll do have a plan for a short program already for the upcoming season, you know? I'll choreograph a program for the two of you based on that."

"Chloe, I'm not stopping until – " Aubrey interjected but Chloe cut her short.

"And we'll have a face off!" Chloe then announced leaving both Beca and Aubrey confused. "The tow of you will compete in a week's time by performing the program I design for you both. We'll call it hot springs on ice!"

"Are we actually going to make this an official event?" Cynthia Rose then piped in, trying to follow the whirlwind of events unfolding right before her eyes.

"Yeah! It'll be fun!" Chloe replied. Beca looked like she was about to protest, sounding incredibly uncertain as she tried to approach Chloe. For her part the redhead wasn't that naïve not to see that Beca's confidence was waning. She guessed that the younger skater probably didn't feel she was enough to even attempt to beat an accomplished skater like Aubrey. Chloe stopped her however. If she wanted to reignite Beca's passion for skating and resurrect her career, she would have to stoke the competitive fire inside her. "No buts," Chloe started to say, "this is a competition, after all."

"And what's the prize?" Aubrey asked, sensing where Chloe's event proposal was going. "Let me guess, if the munchkin wins, you stay here, am I right?" she probed Chloe and Chloe nodded in response.

"Fine then," Aubrey agreed. "But if I win, you're coming back to New York with me."

"That sounds only fair," Chloe replied with a smile. She glanced over at Beca who's resolve looked like it was about to crumble for the briefest of moments before she pulled herself back together. She still looked uncertain, but something had changed and Chloe could tell.

She could see the look of determination in her eyes.

In that instant, Chloe hoped, that she had sparked something deep within Beca, just like she did for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So in the anime, Beca is based on the main character, Yuri Katsuki, a Japanese figure skater. Meanwhile, Chloe is based on Victor Nikifirov, a Russian figure skater who is considered a living legend in the figure skating world. Aubrey is based on the younger Russian Yuri Plisetski (aka Yurio), who sort of become’s Japanese Yuri’s rival. Yurio and Victor had the same coach (as maintained in this fic). I used John as the coach because I needed someone older, Gail will make an appearance as well.
> 
> As for Cynthia Rose and Denise, they’re based on Yuri’s childhood friends. Jesse is actually based on Yuri’s female friend who is a dancer and owns a studio. She works at a bar at night, an attribute I gave to Amy since her character is based on the Nishigori triplets, the three daughters of Yuri’s married childhood friends ;) 
> 
> Last but not the least, the anime is centered around Yuri and Victor’s relationship, not just as a coach and athlete but also as a couple <3 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed those fun facts!


	4. I am Eros and Eros is Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In order to choose between her new role and her best friend’s pleas, Chloe makes Beca and Aubrey compete in a skate-off. If Aubrey wins, Chloe will return to New York and train with her, and if Beca wins, Chloe will remain her coach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chloe just has a bad habit of doing whatever she wanted now, doesn’t she?  
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I may have taken some lines from the anime and used them exactly as they were. The pork cutlet bowl thing below is also very much in the anime, so…

One thing that Beca appreciated in Chloe was that she never wasted time.

As soon as their deal was sorted out, Denise and Amy drawn into the plan for help promoting the event, the redhead took to the ice, the remote to the sound system in her hand. Aubrey quickly sorted herself out, with Denise offering to take her luggage back to the inn. She only stopped her for a brief moment to unpack her beloved pair of skates, the ones with the black blades with her name engraved on them.

Beca watched in her spot as the two skaters resumed their conversation with ease, Aubrey continuously berating Chloe for her unprecedented retirement and Chloe taking it all in stride. It struck Beca that in the past week, she was quite unsure how to react to anything that Chloe did around her that she was all but awkward and clumsy. She yearned to have the same sense of familiarity and ease the two friends and rivals before her had. Beca wished she could be like Aubrey that way.

“Like I said,” Chloe started as soon as Beca caught up to them on ice, “I was already planning my short program from this season before I decided to retire, even pick the music too, but I was stuck on something. So, instead of me, I’ll have the two of you skate to the same music.”

“Eh?” Beca remarked.

“What?” Aubrey exclaimed. “I’m not skating to the same music as that – “

“Would you relax, Bree? Seriously, check out the hot springs later,” Chloe replied with a chuckle. “The piece has two arrangements. Here’s the first one,” she went to say, pressing play. The slow start of the music came to life with a flair of vocal sounds that reminded Beca of a church choir. The organ was prominently featured as the instrument in the piece. Beca almost felt like she was being transported to some European cathedral, surrounded by a choir singing in Latin, all in harmony, with a young male soprano lead soloist. “What do you think of it?”

“It definitely evokes a sense of innocence,” Beca found herself saying, lost in the tune of the music.

“I hate it,” Aubrey noted.

“The piece is called ‘In Regards to Love’ and this specific arrangement is on Agape. Unconditional, unselfish, and altruistic love. There’s a sense of gentle and ethereal feeling throughout the song, but it also has some melancholic hues,” Chloe then said. “Here’s the next arrangement, let me know what you think.”

The next piece started playing with a faster almost fiery tempo. Passionate even.

“This, I want to skate to this Chlo,” Aubrey demanded.

Chloe simply shook her head and smiled. “Why am I not surprised?” she asked herself. “This piece is called ‘In Regards to Love: Eros’, passionate and romantic love. One may even equate it to the simmering feelings of lust.”

Beca simply nodded. In her mind, she had no doubt that while the two different arrangements of the same piece gave to life two different pieces, Chloe could very easily skate to both. She had the charm and charisma to pull of the image of the seductive temptress that the second piece calls to mind. She also had the light and innocence to project the feelings of agape for the first piece. If Chloe were to ask Beca which one she would prefer, “Agape” was the safe bet for her to easily adapt to and evoke.

However, Chloe had other things in mind.

“That’s why you, Beca, will skate to ‘Eros’ while Bree will skate to ‘Agape’.”

“What?!” Beca and Aubrey chorused.

“That doesn’t make any sense, Chloe!” Aubrey complained.

“Of course it does,” Chloe insisted. “The truth is the two of you are pretty average skaters. Oh, don’t make a face Bree, if it weren’t true then the gap between your personal best scores with the lowest I’ve ever gotten wouldn’t be astronomical. The two of you have strengths and weaknesses and if you stay with what you’re comfortable, you’ll never grow. Besides, if you always do what’s expected of you, then you’ll never surprise the audience. Who knows? You might even surprise yourself.”

Beca looked at Chloe in awe. She didn’t exactly expect her to say something like that. She thought, given Chloe’s carefree approach to everything the past few days that Beca’s spent with her, that she was just that. Chloe wasn’t just good, possibly the best female skater of their time, and Beca felt like an idiot thinking that a passion for skating and hard work in training was all it took. She didn’t even consider that it comes with a great deal of thought and reflection about your own personal growth too.

As for Aubrey, she looked mildly insulted by what Chloe said but she didn’t refute her analysis. She simply accepted what Chloe gave as their assignments. The rest of the day was spent by warming up on ice and getting a feel of the rink. No major strides were taken towards completing the programs.

Aubrey ended up staying at the inn with them, in a room two doors down form Chloe’s. The inn had become pretty much fully booked due to all the media circus and hubbub of Chloe’s stay with Beca’s family. Aubrey had to settle for a standard room, which was an even simpler set-up than Chloe’s. While she pretty much complained about everything else, Aubrey did sound genuine in expressing her thanks for allowing Beca’s family to welcome her at their home for dinner, and pretty much every other meal.

That evening was the first time Beca was actually left in peace. She hated to admit it but she was starting to miss her usual, sometimes comical, antics with Chloe. With her best friend around, Chloe was pretty much preoccupied with other thoughts than getting to know Beca.

Beca found herself up and ready earlier than Chloe the next morning. Chloe smiled when they ran into each other at the back entrance, as she led the way with her bike, Aubrey grumbling her grievances with the redhead right behind her. They went through their usual lap, Beca slightly annoyed that Aubrey could easily keep up with Chloe. In her defense, she’s been out of shape for a while.

Cynthia Rose was busy that morning with Amy, reaching out to the local press to promote the event. Beca found Jesse lending a hand that morning, with Denise also busy with preparations. This pretty much allowed the three of them to have privacy at the rink.

Chloe instructed the two of them to watch on the sidelines as she showed them what she had prepared for the two programs. First was ‘Agape’, and as soon as the music started, Beca watch her idol skate with such grace and beauty that it made her feel some kind of ache, a kind of longing, in her heart. Whether it was to skate just as beautifully as Chloe did, or to reach her at the same level, she wasn’t quite sure.

All she knew was that someday, she’d like to deserve the sacrifice Chloe had made to coach her. She had always been chasing after her idol, and here she was, an idiot not making the most of it.

Once the music stopped, they heard a round of applause coming from Denise and Jesse who Beca didn’t even notice joining them.

“That was amazing!” Denise said.

“And who are you?” Aubrey noted, sounding incredibly grumpy.

“Now, now, Bree, don’t bite,” Chloe quickly reprimanded her.

But both Denise and Jesse didn’t seem to be offended. “The name’s Jess, this is Denise, co-owner of this joint. I’m just a skating fan and best friend extraordinaire to one Beca Mitchell.”

“And they’re letting us skate her for free anytime we want, so be nice,” Chloe added. “But what do you think, Bree?”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” Aubrey replied confidently which slightly made Beca feel intimidated.

While beautiful and seemingly easy to watch, the routine that Chloe just demonstrated required great skill to pull off.

“Alright, Beca. Yours is up next, so pay attention,” Chloe called back as she waived over at Denise to press play.

From the moment ‘Eros’ started playing, Beca couldn’t take her eyes off Chloe. She was transfixed. Even Jesse and Denise shared the same expression she wore. Chloe’s natural charisma made it difficult for anyone not to be drawn in. She was enticing, the very vision of Aphrodite; Chloe was truly a master in the art of seduction. From the way she moved her hips, to the confident look on her face, matched with that sexy smile, the routine Chloe wanted Beca to pull off was like sex on ice. Heck, Beca was pretty sure that the ice on the rink was starting to melt under the golden blades of Chloe’s skates from how hot the performance was.

_There’s so much eros in this program, I think it might impregnate me,_ Beca couldn’t help but think to herself before a twinge of panic set in. _No way, I can’t skate like that!!_

Once the music stopped, Beca found herself snapping back to reality. “Everything okay?” she heard Chloe ask as she skated towards her. That was when Beca realized that at some point during Chloe’s performance, she got on the rink and skated towards the middle where Chloe was.

She was that so inexplicably drawn to Chloe’s performance. It was like she was the moth to Chloe’s flame.

Beca simply nodded furiously and Chloe went on with the conversation, noting how she assumed that with what she seen of Beca’s previous performances, she had the skill to get a great components score. Her main concern was her technical ability. “So what jumps can you do? Can you land a quad? If not, we’ll have to mostly rely on your triple axel.”

“I can do the triple axel just fine,” Beca replied, as she focused on carrying out a normal conversation with Chloe, which was often made difficult by how hard her heart pounded against her chest whenever the redhead got near her. Somehow, the small distance she had with Chloe, helped her actually act normal. “I can land a quad loop too, mostly in practice. I just try to avoid using it in competitions for now because when I get too nervous, I end up under rotating my jumps. I’ve tried the quad sal too, but that’s fifty-fifty for now.”

Chloe looked thoughtful for a minute and gave a firm nod. “Alright then, I guess I’ll focus on working with Bree today while you focus on the basic sequences for your program. I want you to try and land all the difficult jumps that you know, and test which ones you can successfully pull off. Hold off on the quad salchow and focus on nailing the quad loop for now too. It would be useless to try and use something you can’t pull off.”

Beca nodded, looking rather defeated. She was truthfully disappointed she wouldn’t get to work with Chloe that day.

Chloe didn’t seem to miss any beat either, not wanting her to feel bad for herself. “You’ve shown you have the skill to win, Beca. Tell me, why can’t you?”

Beca looked down and sighed. Chloe raised some pretty good points. “Probably because I don’t have a lot of confidence,” she then replied.

Chloe smiled in response and skated closer to Beca “Exactly,” she said, “that’s why what I want to do is help you find that confidence so that you can embrace it.”

By the time Beca looked up, one of Chloe’s hands rested on her waist. She used the fingers on her free hand to raise her chin, Chloe’s thumb briefly running over Beca’s bottom lip. “Unleash the eros within you,” Chloe had then said, her dropping low before she set her forehead against Beca’s own. “Maybe no one has seen it, but I know it’s there, smoldering deep down inside you and waiting for its chance to come out. Can you show it to me? Can you do that?”

“Hey Chloe, you just said it yourself that you’re supposed to be practicing with me today, not flirting with the hobbit!” Aubrey then yelled from the other end of the rink.

“Yeah, yeah,” Chloe replied, slowly skating away from Beca. She turned her attention back to her for a minute to give her an assignment. “While you’re practicing the fundamentals, I also want you to do some thinking for today. I want to know what eros is for you.”

Beca nodded furiously in response. However, she had absolutely no clue where to begin and how to even define what eros is for her.

She’s never even been in love with before. So how can she give Chloe an answer?

* * *

“Stop. Stop!” Chloe called out.

After an entire day of her berating Aubrey for everything she was doing wrong, Aubrey had just about enough of Chloe playing coach. “What did I do wrong now? I’ve been skating the program exactly as you’ve been skating it!”

“I know Bree,” Chloe replied before she took a deep breath and sighed. “But something just isn’t clicking.”

“I swear, Chlo, you promised me a medal winning program. If we’re going to waste a day just you telling me how I need to life my leg up one angle higher…”

“We both know if I skated this program it will be a medal winning program,” Chloe replied, matter-of-factly. Aubrey hated the fact that Chloe was only being honest and not even smug. “I don’t question you’re technical skills, it just feels like you’re not connecting to the piece. No, not just the music. The entire program, if I’m being honest. You’re not feeling your agape.”

“Well then, skating goddess, tell me. What’s agape for you?” Aubrey asked, sounding a little more frustrated than she wanted to be. It’s not that she was vexed or irritable twenty-four seven, but there was a lot of things getting on her nerves at the moment.

For one thing, she really, truthfully, couldn’t comprehend why Chloe would throw away her skating career just to help some average munchkin-sized skater who looked up to her.

The other major annoyance was the fact that – technical skill aside – Chloe, her best friend since childhood Chloe, actually put her in the same level as said munchkin.

And it pained Aubrey to see that she might actually be right in the comparison. They started learning how to skate at the same age. Had Chloe really become so unreachable for her, had she really outgrown her, outpaced her, so much? She was the only one Aubrey always considered a worthy competition, and now? She was struggling to pull of the same program that Chloe would have made look so easy.

Chloe smiled lightly at her and shook her head. “Bree, when you skate, it’s not about what you think but how you feel. You should know that by now. Besides, ‘agape’ is an emotion, so why bother explaining it?”

_She can’t define it either,_ Aubrey thought to herself as she stared at her best friend in disbelief. She knew Chloe all too well by now to know that she was deflecting the question.

But then again, maybe her best friend have a point. Because even when Chloe couldn’t define it, even when she couldn’t say what agape was to her, it was plain to see that she understood the emotion very well.

_An unselfish, unconditional, eternal kind of love, huh?_

The rest of the week wasn’t any easier for Aubrey as she struggled to truly embrace agape, figure out what it meant for her. They only had a few moments to take a breather, but they were always colorful. Most of them involved Beca Mitchell’s own training sessions with Chloe. The night after their first actual training for the program, Beca looked like her brain would melt from over thinking. She barely touched the food prepared for them – pork cutlet bowls, Beca’s favorite food that she couldn’t have and apparently Chloe’s favorite food as well – and she was incredibly checked out when all of a sudden, Beca abruptly stood up, slamming her hands on the table, announcing to everyone in the room, “Katsudon! That’s it! That’s what eros is for me!”

The silence that followed and Beca’s embarrassment was entertaining enough. Chloe giggled and said that she could work with that.

It was hard to take Beca’s training any seriously, at least, that’s how Aubrey would feel in her shoes. Every now and then, Chloe would remind her to exude the juiciness of the pork and to think of the softness of the egg that made up Beca’s favorite dish. The look of determination on Beca’s face told her a different story though.

She would catch a glimpse at times of what Chloe saw in her, the skill and the stamina she possessed as well. She barely had any injuries too, that if Chloe proved successful I reinvigorating her career, she could prove to be Aubrey’s true competition.

As stupid as the “Katsudon is eros” plan for Beca was, it worked for her. But Aubrey, with all her life experiences, was struggling with agape.

She tried to look for inspiration from all around her. From the support Beca’s friends and family gave her, from Chloe’s encouraging words and the way that she would look at Beca with growing adoration that she had insisted wasn’t there. Heck, even from the support that Beca’s friends were giving Aubrey herself. But in the end, Aubrey only felt torn and confused by it.

“I’m the enemy, why the heck are you cheering me on?” she asked with a huff after a run where Jesse, Beca’s best friend, joined her.

Jesse simply shrugged. “You and Chloe are good rivals and you’re best friends, right?”

“So? I’m not going to be that munchkin’s best friend,” she had announced in response.

“Yeah, but the two of you working to improve, having a reason to win and something to fight for, and all. You’re both pushing each other to grow and change for the better. So what if you’re the competition? That doesn’t necessarily make you the enemy.”

The night before their final practice Aubrey found herself alone in the hot springs, Jesse’s words in her head. The week she had spent in Colorado had led her to an endless amount of surprises. She thought she was close to the goal of being considered to be on Chloe’s level, and all she’s found was that she was wrong.

Looking back at all the relationships she had formed herself, she felt mad at the hobbit for not accomplishing anything any sooner. She had all the kinds of love in the world surrounding her to fuel a fire that does exist inside of her. It was just buried way deep down inside.

Aubrey didn’t have that. She had a mother too busy keeping up with the high society life, a father more concerned about the state of his companies. All she had was Chloe as her family, and even then she felt like she was losing her to the hobbit who have everything in front of her, she just needed to open her eyes and see it for herself.

Then of course was Aubrey’s grandma. The one who took her to the skating rink for the first time, the one who enrolled her in her first class where she met Chloe. Her grandma was the only one who would cheer her on in the crowd, support her in all her competitions when she was younger. She could only watch her performances now that her health had declined.

But she still always called. She would stay up, watch a live stream, and call Aubrey as soon as her performance ends and her scores were revealed, telling her how proud she was of her.

_Ah, I see it now,_ Aubrey thought to herself.

No one can ever really define love, or think and explain what it was for them. No matter what kind of love it was.

You just see it, experience it, and feel it. Most times, you take it for granted that you don’t even realize the love that you have right in front of you.

Aubrey smiled. She’s found her agape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone interested in the music, I have links to them below
> 
> In Regards to Love, Agape: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWJ-nH0apSg  
> In Regards to Love, Eros: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn77IReyPGU
> 
> Love is definitely a major theme in the show, as well as the different forms of love. if you're interested in checking out their routines (because I might not be able to sufficiently describe them) I can look for clips of each performance on YouTube and add them in the end of the chapter (or provide a link to the episode on Crunchyroll's channel on YouTube and you can just skip to the performance part ;P)


	5. Hot Springs on Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chloe assigned choreography opposite to what Aubrey and Beca. are used to, challenging them. Both skate to the music of “In Regards to Love”, with Aubrey getting the “Agape” arrangement and Beca the “Eros” arrangement. To perfect her performance, Aubrey uses her love for her grandmother to channel her Agape while Beca attempts to use her favorite food, katsudon, to channel Eros. At the last minute, Beca decides to make a few changes to her interpretation of the music with the help of Jesse, knowing well enough that if she wants to compete at the highest level and keep Chloe as her coach, she needed to get used to being outside her comfort zone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s the showdown between Aubrey and Beca! I hope you guys enjoy this update. I’m working on doing weekly updates after this, until the fic is finished.

There was always something so electric about the moments before she get to go on the ice. Aubrey thinks it’s one of the reasons why she fell in love with skating in the first place. Add that to her competitive nature, and the world of figure skating, the allure of being the top skater in the world, made all the sense to her. There was nothing else she could be, nothing else she could do. Her fate had been to keep dancing on the blades for the rest of her life.

The “Hot Springs on Ice” contest looked too small of an event compared to the competitions she regularly partakes in, but she had never felt as much of a desire to win anything ever before. All of the years she had spent chasing the top of the podium, the place that had been seemingly reserved for her best friend, had led her to this.

Aubrey huffed as her eyes scanned the skating rink. All of Beca’s town seemed to have been cramped on the bleachers, local news stations all covering the event. Her eyes landed on Chloe, cheerful as always, and basking in the glory of her new role as the town’s tourism ambassador. She was holding a few interviews prior to the start of the contest. Aubrey couldn’t help but wonder if by this time, she had forgotten about what this challenge really was for. To Aubrey, it was to drag her back to New York. She can stay retired if she wants but she’s choreographing a program for Aubrey either way. Although truth be told, Aubrey wished she wouldn’t retire just yet, not until she’s actually beaten her.

Aubrey had her sights set to getting her best friend back home, the alternative was simply unacceptable. To her right, she could hear, see, and _feel_ Beca Mitchell’s nerves tightening up, anxiety taking hold, as she kept fidgeting about.

Aubrey had to hand it to Beca – or maybe to Chloe? – because the girl looked flawless when cleaned up. She was wearing a black jacket, simple just like Beca, with one of Chloe’s old costumes underneath. Having very little time to get anything custom made, and having Chloe’s dozen of boxes worth of previous competition outfits at hand since she had them all shipped when she moved, it made sense to choose one of her best friends old costumes to use for this event. Chloe vetoed all of Beca’s old ones, and Aubrey hadn’t packed anything. Thankfully, one of Chloe’s costumes from her junior years had fit – more than that really, it suited the girl to a shocking degree – and Aubrey had closely similar measurements as the redhead that it wasn’t much of a trouble to make a few adjustments with the help of Beca’s friends.

Or should Aubrey say her friends too? The last couple of weeks had turned out some unexpected developments. It made sense for Beca’s childhood friends all support her training and practices as they prepared for the competition. Aubrey wouldn’t admit it out loud but she was quiet jealous of it. Beca always seemed to be teetering on the edge of wanting to quit. If it wasn’t for her supportive group of friends and family, she probably would have. But they all believed in her with unwavering faith. Chloe too. It caught Aubrey off guard when she received the same kind of support from Beca’s parents, and her best friends.

“Why would you go on cheering for the enemy?” Aubrey asked, incredibly confused after an afternoon run where Jesse kept her company and cheered her on.

“Because you’re Beca’s rival, right?” Jesse replied with a boyish grin. “Beca’s only going to be as good as her rival, so you better be on top shape! That’s the only way she’d want to keep working harder!”

_A rival, huh?_ Aubrey thought to herself as the even started. The announcer, a TV host for a local daytime talk show, started to get the crowd all riled up. Aubrey was going to be up first, so she started to unzip her official Team USA jacket, revealing her costume of a white shimmering one piece suit. It had shoulder blades that looked like wings, with her feather-like attachments adorning her writs. She was really going for a look of absolute innocence to match her ‘Agape’ short program.

As she turned around to set her jacket down, she saw Cynthia Rose and her wife, Denise, cheering for her, Amy giving her a thumbs up, and Jesse trying to get the gushing blood coming out of his nose under control while wishing her the best of luck.

“Okay, thanks, but you’re gushing all kinds of fluid. Are you okay?”

“Ish fine! I promish!” he replied while stuffing his nose with tissue to soak up the blood.

Aubrey didn’t humor him with much of a reply as she set her sight on the prize. She had to win.

She couldn’t let Beca outperform her. She had always come in second place, but not this time. This was her moment to shine, to become the top skater in America.

No, not just the States, but the entire world.

And as Aubrey took her place on the ice, awaiting for the start of the music, she could feel the butterflies starting flutter about in her stomach. _Am I… why am I nervous?_

On the surface, Aubrey moved gracefully, landing all her jumps cleanly and dazzling the crowd as the music started and the performance went on. But her thoughts had been focused on her routine, what comes next, and making sure the technical aspects of performance were perfect.

_I’m sorry grandma,_ she thought to herself as she realized how much she was struggling to connect to the music that performance felt all mechanical for her. It felt pretentious as she tried to project the image of an innocent and unconditional kind of love when that’s not where her heart was at all. All she could feel was her desire to win. She couldn’t feel her agape at all.

The crowd went wild when it was over, the announcer noting that it was her best performance to date. But Aubrey was dissatisfied.

Aubrey knew, despite the cheers, despite the applause, she had never been further away from her dream than she was at that moment.

Something had clicked at the back of her mind as she sated towards the edge of the rink, Chloe congratulating her for a wonderful performance. Aubrey didn’t really register much of what she said. She performed the way she always had, entering her program with the same mindset she had in competitions for years. But for the first time, since she found her agape in her practice leading up the event, she could finally see the real gap between her and Chloe. She skated better the last few days, when nothing else mattered but her connection to the piece and the freedom that skated afforded her.

It wasn’t winning that mattered. It was her love for skating.

_When did I lose that?_

Aubrey took her jacket and proceeded to wear it again as she listened to Chloe snap Beca out of some daze, reminding her that her turn was coming up. Her eyes landed on Beca, watching her with every shaky step she took towards the ice. She could remember how the hobbit had begged her to teach her the quad salchow, one of the most common and easiest quads to perform. Aubrey had humored her then, first incredibly annoyed why she would try to land the jump when she couldn’t always land a quad loop cleanly.

In that moment, Aubrey realized that maybe Beca was a rival that she needed. A rival who wanted to beat the odds, who had to prove. She couldn’t help but wonder if Beca had improved at all since their practices.

She didn’t want to admit it to herself but she was waiting in anticipation to see if her competitor has improved at all.

_Show me what you’ve got, Mitchell._

To say that Beca always felt nervous would be an understatement. Just the thought of so many eyes on her, watching her every movement, tracking her every step, was enough to unsettle her nerves. But her love for the ice always seemed to win out, and she kept fighting to find a way back on it.

Except for when she nearly quit. It’s only been weeks and Beca couldn’t help but notice how much had changed since then. Could she really win the Grand Prix? She wasn’t sure. But she did know one thing. The moments she got to spend with Chloe, no matter how short, already felt so precious to her. She didn’t to give that up. More than that, she wanted to deserve every second of that time.

So she had to unleash the eros within.

Beca took a deep breath as she found her place in the ice, and assumed her starting position. Her costume was a one piece black suit with glittering white rhinestones and metal plates of various shapes and sizes. The costume was one of Chloe’s old ones from her junior career, one she wore for a performance where she skated to “Romeo and Juliet” by Tchaikovsky. She had meant to have her costume depict both the male and female counterparts of the two star-crossed lovers, with one side of the costume adorned with a short black skirt. Beca thought it would be perfect for her eros performance. With her hair simply tied back and a neutral color palette for her make-up, she easily evoked an androgynous image to help her sell her performance.

With that thought, the music started and Beca felt at peace. She didn’t have to try and be something she wasn’t. True, she has a non-existent relationship with eros, passionate love, but she hoped that her passion for skating would be enough. She initially thought that her love for pork cutlet bowls would be enough, trying to convert her glutinous desires for a bite of a very juicy pork with the softest egg into a winning performance. But she knew it wouldn’t be enough. She wasn’t going to reach the depths of her passions that way.

Talking with Jesse, she initially thought of a story to match her music. To be a tempting seductress that catches the eye of a travelling playboy, enticing him to stay by her side and cast away all other lovers. She would be successful, at first, by being elusive to his charms, but ultimately fail when the playboy finally gets what he wants.

With twenty four hours left before the performance, Beca threw that idea out of the window. She knew she would never connect to the tempting seductress, she wouldn’t even know how to be one. So she turned to Jesse once more for help.

“What do you mean teach you how to dance more masculine?” Jesse had asked when Beca showed up outside his dance studio last night.

“Well, you played the lead parts in some ballet recitals right? Like princely character, or something more. Some irresistible knight-like character.”

Jesse had looked at her with a puzzling expression on his face. “Sorry, but skating’s all being incredibly feminine for the ladies right? You try and be the dazzling knight and judges would lose their mind.”

“Jess, if I want to win, I have to be true to myself and how I feel. I’m no tempting seductress, but I want to be someone who could attract the seductress. The unsuspecting lover that is the complete opposite of the playboy, passionate and maybe romantic, but not overtly sickly sweet. If I have to push boundaries to do that, so be it. My costume is enough to leave things up to interpretation.”

Jesse had sighed but nevertheless helped her out, which meant Beca had absolutely little sleep in preparation for the event. Still, she never felt more at peace. The nerves were there, but they slowly disappeared with every successful spin and jump. She had landed her quad loop neatly, and almost successfully landed a quad salchow she threw in at the last minute, briefly touching the ice as she landed to restore her balance.

But she remained undeterred.

This event, this was her lifeline.

This was all that stood between one more chance on the ice.

Lost in her thought, Beca barely realizes the music fade away. She assumes her final position on the ice and the crowd goes wild.

_It’s… it’s over?_ She thought to herself as the applause grew louder. When she looked up, she could barely contain her feelings, overwhelmed by the cheers of support of the people around her.

It wasn’t perfect, and she still had a long way to go.

But there was no way in hell she would give up now.

Jesse watched as Beca skated towards the edge of the rink, Chloe already waiting for her. He was in awe of his best friend’s performance. The announcer said that Beca Mitchell was back. But he was wrong. She had never skated like that before. It was like Beca had just finally arrived.

As Beca reached the edge of the rink, Chloe started lecturing her. Jesse couldn’t help but chuckle as she went straight into telling Beca that her step sequence was wonderful but she still had to work on the technical parts of the program. He never though the redhead would be that strict, but he figured, she wasn’t an award-winning skater for nothing. She knew the hard work that needed to be put into becoming a living legend like her.

Jesse scanned the room, amazed by the round of cheers still going for Beca. That was when he noticed that Aubrey was gone from where she stood minutes earlier. Rushing towards the back, and out the ice house, Jesse found Aubrey with the luggage carrying her skating gear already making her way towards the hot springs.

“Hey, where you going? They haven’t announced the winner yet!” he called back.

Aubrey stopped on her tracks and turned to face him with an irritated expression. “You really are an idiot,” she said with a sigh. “I don’t need to stay, the winner’s already been decided.”

“What?” Jesse asked still confused.

“But it’s not over yet, Swanson. Mitchell may have won this round, but I’ll take home the gold in the Grand Prix, you wait and see!” Aubrey announced before swiftly turning her back on him and marched on.

Jesse chuckled. Aubrey was, well, difficult at times. But something had changed in her.

_Beca’s got a real good rival, huh._ He thought to himself, feeling the growing excitement in the air.

This year’s skating season was going to be incredibly special.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Pt2: Sorry for the lack of updates the past couple of weeks, the holidays took me by the storm, I had video games to finish playing, and then work took me by a storm as soon as we got back. There was also the tragic news of the passing of one of my childhood friends during the first week of the year that I had to process and grapple with. I’m finally starting to settle on a writing schedule that can work for me. This week, I’ll try to update every other day then I’m planning on doing weekly uploads on Mondays starting next week.  
> Also, nose bleeds = arousal in anime… a similar scene happened in the actual anime…
> 
> PS: This is what Aubrey’s costume looks like:  
> https://www.pinterest.com/pin/383650461993418479/  
> And here’s a link to Beca’s:  
> https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32795690201.html
> 
> PPS: #RIPKobe and #RIPGianna, this news just makes January so gut-wrenching and heartbreaking


	6. Complete the Free Program!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca takes a trip back down memory lane in an attempt to chose the perfect piece for her Free Program.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here's chapter six ft. one of my new found favorite piano pieces, the theme of Yuri on Ice.

Beca buried her face in her pillow, attempting to bury her groaning. The past two weeks had yielded some pretty solid improvements to her short program. It was a grueling task, but Beca couldn't help but feel incredibly satisfied about her progress.

That wasn't why she was such in a bad mood though.

With her short program shaping up nicely, and with the US Challenger Series just around the corner – she had to participate in them this year thanks to her horrible display from the past season – focus had been shifted to her Free Program. In particular, to her music.

Chloe had asked her to pick one and in a panicked response she replied that Benji, her former coach, typically picked her music for her.

So Chloe called Benji only to find out that even though he gave her the freedom to choose, she would always chicken out in picking on for herself. This, in turn, made Beca admit that she tried to have a composer friend produce her Free Program music once before.

"Let's hear it then!" Chloe chirruped in enthusiasm. Only to barely hide her contempt of the piece a soon as she heard it.

"We'll think of something else, okay?" Chloe had said when she handed Beca back her earbuds.

"You don't like it?"

"It's not that it's bad, Beca, it's just incredibly bland." Chloe had replied.

She wasn't technically wrong either. Theo, a student studying in the conservatory of music in the university Beca attended, was the one who made her the piece. He had asked her out once, but Beca, preferring to keep mostly to herself and to her figure skating career, had turned him down. He was charming, and had he asked any other girl out, Beca knew that the answer would be yes. She just wasn't into him.

They had remained friends over the years at the university, but it wasn't like they were close either. Perhaps it wasn't that much of a surprise to think why the music he had composed would be incredibly bland. Beca assumed that it was because he just didn't know her very well back then.

Not wanting to give up in picking a piece of her own this time, Beca decided to reach out to Flo, a fellow skater and someone who she shared a coach with on what to do.

"Do you still have Theo's email?" Flo had asked during their Skype call three days ago.

"I do, but, well, I'm still attached to the piece. I think it can be improved. I just don't know how to ask him that, you know? Especially since I ended up not using it then."

"Beca, it's totally okay. If I remember correctly, Theo's not one to hold grudges, so go on and reach out! The worst that could happen is that he turns down the request."

That was all the motivation Beca needed to send him an email.

That was three days ago. Still no reply.

_Oh well, at least I tried._

The next day turned out to be as gloomy as Beca had been. She remembered having lunch with Theo as he took notes about what kind of music Beca was looking for to help him do a good job. Beca though she had been clear then, transparent, but now it seemed that it wasn't the case at all. She had dabbled with mixing, but never with composing her own pieces. She had wanted a piece that could ring true from the depths of her heart. That she knew was her. The final product that Theo had given her then was lackluster, but there were moments, there were beats, where it felt like he had captured who she was back then.

She figured, that maybe that was why she was so insistent on him still having to finish and re-work the piece he had started.

Chloe took notice of her moods while they took a break from running that afternoon. They sat on the shoreline of a river that passed through Beca's hometown, grey skies casting shadows on their silent afternoon.

"What's going on Beca?" Chloe asked, genuinely concerned over the sudden glum that had taken hold of her. "You really need to start opening up to me, you know? As your coach, I need to know what you're thinking, how you're feeling. You have to be open."

But Beca gave no response. She wasn't sure how to explain it at all to Chloe. It was as if that unfinished piece held her captive, and its completion was what's needed to give Beca that final push. It was the music, that was all, and Beca didn't want to give Chloe the wrong impression after she bashed how Theo couldn't quite capture the true essence that was Beca. She didn't want her to think that their relationship was what had Beca so hung up on the piece either.

For Beca, it was truly about having something nearly within her grasp, but still not close enough to reach it. That was what the music made her feel. That's why she had faith that if Theo humored her favor, he could do it. Capture what was missing, especially after she poured all her heart into the email, asking her request, and explaining to him what happened over the last year. How Chloe wanted to help her and how Beca believed that choosing her music, and finishing what she had almost started before with the piece she barely made an attempt to sell to her previous coach, would be what she needed for a winning Free Program.

Because Beca realized she did everything so half-heartedly before, in the end, the music born from it was half-hearted as well.

She wanted to prove it wrong.

She still believed it would be the piece that would speak to her heart and how it feels. Express Beca's love for skating, her passions, and who she was as a skater.

"Beca?" Chloe asked once more, trying to get her attention back to reality. "Come on, we need to establish a bond. Tell me, what do you want me to be for it to be easier for you to open up? Do you want me to be your friend? Best friend? Family? Do you want me to be your lover? I can't promise you much but I'll try my best to –" Chloe went on causing Beca to become incredibly flustered, shaking her head vehemently and finally acknowledging Chloe.

"I just want you to be you, Chloe." Beca replied.

"I want you to be you too." Chloe gave as a response.

"I just… I don't think I'd be enough."

"None sense," Chloe immediately chastised. "Haven't you realized it yet? Why I'm here?"

Beca looked at her confused. She didn't need to urge Chloe on to hear what the redhead meant.

"Skating is freedom for me, Beca. It's like flying. The moments as you take my position before jumping feels like I'm spreading my wings, and once I'm off, that's it, I'm flying. But no matter how much I've won, watching you skate in that video, I knew that I could never reach the kind of freedom you reach." Chloe then said. It was something that Beca wasn't expecting to hear from her.

_Freedom, huh._

Chloe decided that the two of them take the rest of the day off to give Beca some rest. They went around town and decided to hang out at Amy's bar for a little while before heading back. Despite still worrying about the piece, Beca had to admit that the talk she had with Chloe made her feel lighter.

It wasn't until late that night when Beca saw the notification I her mailbox. Theo had replied a little earlier that evening. Beca felt nervous to open the message, afraid that he might turn her down, but to her surprise he didn't.

In fact, he did more than that. He finished the piece.

_Hey Beca,_

_Sorry for the late response. As soon as I saw your message, I couldn't help it. I started working. I apologize if the piece felt incomplete back then. I wasn't as experienced as I am now and with all the other deadlines I had to meet, I might have rushed it. I hope this does your program justice. Now go on and win that gold! Make my music famous along the way too ;)_

_Regards,_

_Theo_

Beca didn't waste any time in uploading the music to her mp3 player and immediately listening to it. From the opening notes, Beca knew it, this was it.

She couldn't skate to anything else other than it.

Not able to contain her excitement, she rushed towards Chloe's room, burst open her doors, and jumped onto the bed she had installed, waking Mocha along the way. Chloe looked glorious under the pale moonlight illuminating the room, the straps of her flimsy nightdress hanging off her shoulders. Beca braved through the distraction as she sat next to her in her bed, and urged Chloe to listen to it while spewing out her explanations on how she got the piece.

As soon as the music played, Chloe beamed up to her and nodded in approval.

"Now that your music's settled," Chloe said as the piece ended and she set Beca's mp3 player aside. "Time to get some rest, we have a long day of work tomorrow."

"Right. I'm sorry for barging i- Hey! Chlo-Chloe, what the-!" Beca gave as a rattled reply as Chloe pulled her down next to her and snuggling close, Mocha, trapping her next to the redhead by claiming his position right next to Beca, his paws resting on her body.

"You're the one who barged in." Chloe replied matter-of-factly. It was pretty dark in the room for Beca to be sure, but somehow she could tell that Chloe was smiling smugly.

Beca didn't reply. Instead she laid right next to the redhead and remained to be as still as she could, quite aware of how dangerously close Chloe's lips were to her own, feeling the warmth of her skin and her gentle breath on her skin. There was still so much work to be done to get ready for the Grand Prix, but somehow, Beca thought that the training, the hard work, all of it would be bearable. If only she could figure out how she was ever going to survive living with Chloe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Pt 2: I almost had Emily as the composer but then I realized that she actually had a perfect counterpart for this series that will be featured in the next two chapters, so stay tuned!
> 
> Here's a link to the music (on youtube):
> 
> watch?v=7btsuRT3M1Q
> 
> The violin accompaniment is supposed to signify how Viktor/Chloe changes Yuri/Beca. The part in the middle that's a solo piano is to signify the moments of doubt and nearly quitting. Towards the end, how it picks up, is supposed to signify the sudden desire to keep fighting, to bloom into the skater Yuri/Beca is really supposed to be.
> 
> And here's a strictly piano version of it (also on youtube):
> 
> watch?v=26I1hs1bg3o


	7. The Challenger Series

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before competing in the Grand Prix, Beca has to face one last hurdle. Emily Junk, and up and coming skater gets a chance to meet her idol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, Emily is in this chapter! Enjoy Beca's first unofficially official competition!

Beca haven't participated in a challenger series for a while. Though never the top skater to beat, she always managed to qualify for the Grand Prix through gaining a decent standing in the competitions she managed to participate in. Thanks to Chloe Beale practically dominating women's figure skating, the US team earn a decent amount of entries for the Worlds and the Four Continents. Beca typically competed in the Four Continents but managed to secure her spot at the Worlds for the first time last year with fellow US competitor, Stacie Conrad, having to withdraw from the competition due to an injury. Beca ended up wasting her shot, suffice to say, Beca ended up wasting her shot, earning her lowest scores yet, and failing to meet the cut-off.

To win the gold medal at the Grand Prix Final, Beca had to first earn a gold medal in one of the events for the challenger series, namely the US International Figure Skating Classic. If she wins, if she gets a world standing point, then she can get through to the next competition. A few skaters already set for the Grand Prix had to withdraw due to injuries and illnesses that cost them valuable training time. This was her chance to take one of those spots.

The venue for the program was significantly greater than her hometown's Ice House. While electricity was in the air for the skaters participating in the competition, Beca knew that it couldn't hold a candle against the atmosphere that surrounded the Grand Prix Finals.

Or perhaps, the reasons she didn't feel as nauseated as she did in her last major competitions was because it's been a while since she competed in the challenger series. Or maybe, it's because she's grown a bit more confident with her time under Chloe's guidance and supervision.

She's met most of those on the list that made up her competition once or twice before. The only new name was last year's US Junior's champion, Emily Junk. This was her first year of possibly qualifying for the Grand Prix. With her birthday occurring the day after the cut-off day, the now sixteen year old was also hoping to light the ice on fire and start giving the top names a run for their money.

Beca stayed calm, watching her competition the day before. With Beca's dumb luck, she ended up going first during the free program. She thought that it might make her more nervous but to her surprise, and partially thanks to Chloe's own cheers from the edge of the rink, she managed to pull a wonderful performance for her short program. Even beating her personal record in terms of short program scores by ten points. Beca had been on a high after that, watching the rest of the competition with Chloe and getting a chance to breathe.

That's the first time she got a good look at Emily. She didn't know her personally but she definitely had promise. She was a little bit too eager with getting her jumps over with, however, popping her triple axel, and under-rotating her triple toe loop. She didn't get to finish watching her program though, getting distracted by Chloe who was so popular with the crowd and the press covering the event, that she gets half dragged as props of the figuring skating goddess turned coach.

Beca took in a deep breath. For the first time in what felt like forever, she was the one to beat. But she wasn't scared or nervous. With Chloe by her side, she was certain she chase and attain that freedom in her skating that Chloe had described.

Warm-up went well, and Beca easily tuned out the chatter with her beloved earphones, listening to her theme on repeat before her turn. She named the piece with Chloe during their last training session for the event.

"All that's really left is to name your music, Beca, and I think we're all set." Chloe had told as the two gathered their things and readied to leave for the inn. "Since it's about you, how about naming it 'Beca on Ice'?"

"That-that's too on the nose, obvious, and kind of narcissistic. I'm not that German idiot who called herself 'Queen' of the figure skating world when she always finished third."

"That what do you have in mind then, Becs?" Chloe had pressed on, and Beca couldn't help but smile at the fact that Chloe had given her a nickname to her nickname.

"How about 'Bella on Ice'?" Beca had offered.

"'Bella on Ice', I like it!"

Coming in first during the short program, Beca was made to skate last. Emily, coming in second, and a good fifteen points away from her, would go just before her. For a little while longer, Beca got to hold all of Chloe's attention, the redhead making sure she's doing okay and helping to amp her up, cheering her on. She knew that Jesse and Amy were doing the exact same thing from somewhere in the stands.

Beca took comfort in that, feeling all the more peaceful with her performance. She started stretching, getting ready near the skating rink just as Emily was about to start her performance. She snuck a glance towards the younger – but taller – skater talking with her coach, as she unzipped her jacket and revealed her custom underneath. Beca starred at the details of the simple white outfit adorned with a short black sleeveless vest not being able to shake off the feeling that she's seen it somewhere before.

"Ah! You-you're, you're Beca Mitchell!" Emily all but squeaked, taking note of Beca with her headphones on standing next to Chloe. "And Chloe Beale!" she all but shrieked as soon as Chloe smiled at her way.

Beca took pulled down her headphones, amazed to hear the younger girl's nervous ramblings through the music of her supposedly soundproof headphones. It made Emily's nervousness around her all the more nervous.

"Hey," Beca greeted as the younger girl kept rambling on about how embarrassed she felt with popping her jump knowing that Beca was watching in the stands. Beca's brows knitted together, getting more confused by the second, wanting to know why on earth she would feel that way when Emily asked her of what she thought about her jump at the end.

Beca felt completely lost at the moment, wondering why such a talented girl would even bother asking her opinion of anything. Chloe was barely suppressing a chuckle at the whole exchange and wasn't exactly helping her either. "I'm sorry, I missed that part 'cause of this one." Beca replied, pointing at Chloe.

"Because of this one she says," Emily awkwardly comments, trying to pass off the comment in a breezy way – it spectacularly failed. "I hope you'll keep watching me today, it'll mean a lot! Oh, and look! I even had this outfit pay tribute to your costume from your Free Program last season!" she went to say in a cheery tone.

But that was all it took for Beca to feel the gloom and doom of her embarrassing performance from the previous years. "Ah, a reminder of my shameful past…" she commented under her breath, trying to shake off the mental images of her failures and her disastrous season.

Emily seemed to pick up her comment and immediately looked indignant. Beca wasn't sure why, but she looked like she was about to cry. "That's not fair! To say to someone who looks up to you that you have a shameful past! That's a great blow to the people who support you, and consider themselves your fans."

Beca wasn't sure what to do, she turned to Chloe for help, but Chloe didn't really provide any direction on how to comfort her competitor. Instead, Chloe huffed, "I'm disappointed you'd think that way too, Beca. We all fall sometimes on our way to the top, and those moments where we slip, they help us become stronger."

"That's not fair to say when you've never failed on live TV before!" Beca retorted, panic settling in for upsetting both Emily and Chloe, apparently.

Beca took in a deep breath and grumbled. "I have no idea why you would even look up to me, but thanks I guess," she then said to Emily. She cleared her throat and took a step closer. "Do better than I did last year, okay? Redeem the costume."

Surprised, Emily seemed to have rallied after that and donned a cheerful smile once more. "Keep watching me, okay? I'll catch up to you soon!" she announced just as she was called onto the rink.

"Looks like Beca Mitchell has found herself her number one fan, Chloe had teased. It left Beca all the more flustered after what was a rather confusing conversation on her part.

_Someone actually looks up to me, huh?_ Beca thought to herself and smiled.

It felt strange, but a good kind of strange, to know that there are people she had never known and never met supporting her and looking up to her, imperfect skater and all.

If anything, it added to her motivations to win that coveted gold medal.

* * *

The last few days have been surreal for Emily.

She had heard from her coach and mother that Beca Mitchell would be competing against her in the US International Figure Skating Classic. Emily's mind was instantly blown. She had been a huge fan of the rather shy and somewhat loner of a skater.

She's seen her around competitions before, Emily always feeling intimidated to approach her. After all, Beca had probably never even heard of Emily Junk. True, some senior skaters keep tabs on those still competing in the junior division. With the ladies quad revolution started by young Russian protégés, it had somewhat become part of the game to do so. The world of skating kept growing and revolutionizing itself, if you can't keep up, then your career has officially ended. Still, most skaters keep their eyes on the prize, always fixated at the one to beat, chasing after their idols and the champions before them.

Beca Mitchell was no Michelle Kwan or Chloe Beale, the current queen of ice skating, but there was something in the way she skated, the way she moved on ice. It was as if she was one with every element that surrounded her – one with her music, one with the rink. Sure, she pops her jumps and messes some up, causing most of her competitors to underestimate her, but Emily could only imagine what kind of skating goddess she could be when she masters them.

Beca Mitchell seemed like an average skater, but for Emily, she was the realest skater she's ever seen. She wasn't perfect, and she never pretended to be. She often fell, but still picked herself off the ice and carried on. She worked hard without falling into the usual mind games that other skaters fell, trying to psych the competition. She loved to skate, and she worked hard to keep growing as a skater. That's why she looked up to her. That's why she always dreamed of meeting her in person.

And now, by God, she was losing her chill just talking to her. It didn't help that actual living legend Chloe Beale was standing right next to her, beaming.

With the news of her current exploits – Chloe becoming her coach, and the Hot Springs on Ice event – Beca Mitchell had become a hot topic. No one knew what to expect coming into the contest. Emily clutched the silver medal hanging around her neck and smiled proudly at what she had accomplished. She wasn't going to the Grand Prix this year, but she still gave it all on the ice. Plus the memory of Beca Mitchell cheering for her to make up on her earlier awkward encounter with her felt like a gold medal in its own right.

Beca seemed like she was out of her depth earlier. Most skaters that Emily met were confident and engaging with their fans. Beca seemed rather confused that she had fans to begin with. Chloe kept giving her a hard time for handling it poorly, lecturing Beca up until Emily was called up on ice. Beca huffed, and turned to Emily "Good luck, kid!" she had cheered.

It was exhilarating. Every jump, every spin, every step sequence that Emily had pulled off, she would catch a glimpse of Beca smile, give her a thumbs up, and cheer her on even more. It made her somewhat feel nervous, but it also made her feel like she wanted to give it her best shot. Briefly, Emily couldn't help but wonder, if that's how Beca felt skating with Chloe as her coach.

When Emily finished, she could still hear Chloe lecturing Beca on her way to the kiss and cry, "You're gonna have to make it up to me too, Mitchell."

Beca didn't have the chance to reply. As Emily waited for her scores, Chloe started fussing about Beca, making sure she was ready. She helped her get out of her jacket, and Emily barely paid attention to her scores being read out.

"Your lips are a little chapped," she had heard Chloe say as she grabbed a small lip balm, ran her index finger over the top layer and then proceeded to run her finger over Beca's lips. What happened next was probably Emily's most embarrassing moment on TV as she felt incredibly flustered and overwhelmed by the level of intimacy between Beca and her coach all while her scores were being read.

"Entice me like you did with your eros," Chloe had then told her as she ushered Beca unto the ice.

And Beca did.

Emily couldn't take her eyes off her. She was drawn into Beca's free program that she couldn't even hear her mom calling her back as she rushed towards where Chloe had stood.

"Hmmm, still lukewarm. Come on, Beca," Chloe had muttered to herself. She didn't pay any attention to Emily during Beca's entire performance. "Here comes the violins, you said they were supposed to represent the time I came into your life. Is that how much you really feel for me? Break free, show me your vulnerability," she had gone on to say, clutching onto the rail that lined the edge of the rink.

Emily blushed. She remembered think about just how close Beca and Chloe had gotten over the months they had spent together.

But before Emily could think about it deeply, Beca – possibly sharing the same thoughts that Chloe had then – attempted an unplanned quad flip that she almost landed properly.

Almost, being the key word, because she landed and spun towards the opposite edge of the rink. The whole fiasco ended with Beca hitting her face against the side of the rink.

It didn't seem to bother her, though. Her nose started bleeding from the injury but she picked herself up and carried on like nothing happened. In the end, she still managed to entice the audience with her step sequence.

Chloe looked like she wanted to be mad, but Emily saw the hints of a smile that she fought off forming on the redhead's own lips. After all, her signature quad was a quad flip.

Chloe looked pissed for a minute as Beca's program ended and looked unsure if Chloe was mad at her. But Chloe smiled, and waited for Beca on the edge of the rink with open arms. Beca then rushed towards her coach, only for Chloe to sidestep on the last minute. "Watch the blood," Chloe had said, causing Beca to trip, fall, and land face flat on the floor once more.

Emily would have felt bad, but after Beca got up, Chloe was all over her, making sure that she didn't break her nose and that whatever injury she sustained wasn't that bad. She helped Beca get the bleeding under control while they had waited for her scores.

Despite the fumble with the extra, unplanned jump earning her a deduction, Beca got a solid free program score. Combined with her short program, it was enough to earn her the gold medal and earn herself a record score higher than what she ever had.

Emily still couldn't believe that she ended up sharing the podium with her idol. Beca was currently looking at her gold medal with a light smile on her face, all as Chloe started to list all the things she did wrong, and that they need to improve.

To Emily's surprise, Chloe was incredibly blunt with her critiques but nevertheless pleasantly pleased that Beca proved her hypothesis right, Beca has the ability to achieve record-breaking components score.

Beca didn't mind the lectures, she simply looked up and met Chloe's gaze with a confident smile. She had offered her gold medal to Chloe as soon as they got off the podium, with the redhead's tradition of kissing gold medals, but she had turned down Beca's now because it wasn't from a "real" competition.

"I'll win the gold, I promise," Beca told Chloe and the redhead beamed back at her student.

"That's what I like to hear," she replied, before noting Emily still standing not far away from them. "And next year, you'll win here, right?"

"Yeah, I'll look forward to watching you win!" Beca added.

And Emily smiled.

One day, she'll reach her, Beca.

Just like how her idol's on her way to reaching Chloe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it's safe to say that we're all Emily here… :D
> 
> The next chapter is a short one about Beca's theme for the season! We also get to check in on Aubrey before the start of the Grand Prix Series!


	8. And This Year's Theme Is...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca declares she'll win the Grand Prix Finals empowered by the love she realized she was surrounded with. Aubrey thinks otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y'all, here's the next chapter. This was supposed to go up Monday, but I got sick :( Anyways, sorry for the delays. Just to remind you guys, updates will be on Mondays from now on. But to make up for this one being late, I'll post the next one either Friday or Saturday (I'm already working on it)!

Emily thought she was living a dream when she first met Beca, when she had her idol cheering her on, and found herself standing right next to her.

But that couldn't even compare to the moment she was living now.

She could still remember it, Beca getting swamped by their other competitors after their event wanting to exchange numbers to keep touch, and to take selfies for their social media accounts. There were some junior skaters also going up to her asking for autographs and pictures. There were congratulatory remarks and questions about living with Chloe, who let her bask in the spotlight for once while she chatted up with some retired skaters who now turned their attention to either coaching like she did or some sort of commentator position for podcasts and televised events.

Beca looked incredibly out of her league, confused but humbled by the sudden attention and admiration being thrown her way. She did her best to keep her cool before turning her attention back to Emily. "Here you go," she had whispered as she slyly handed over a card and placed it into Emily's hand. "I'm sorry again for earlier. And you know, thanks for what you said too. If you ever find yourself in need of a vacation, our family's inn is a pretty cool place to visit."

Emily had simply nodded back then and accepted the information being given to her. She checked the card Beca gave her when she finally reached her hotel room. It was a business card for an onsen style inn in a small town in Colorado.

After talking with her mom about it, they both found themselves in the company of Beca's tight-knit group the week after their event for some well-deserved vacation time.

Her mom was currently chatting with Beca's dad and step-mom while they all gathered by the common dining area of the inn. The TV that was propped up on the wall next to the bar was showing a special on figure skating. Small events were being focused at the moment. Later on, they were going to show live interviews of skaters talking about their theme of their programs for the season, and a few other general topics such as training, balancing their life and responsibilities, the likes.

Beca was currently in a hotel in a resort near Vail being a part of the group of skaters going to be interviewed. Chloe insisted that she should go along with her, but Beca felt like it was something that she needed to do on her own. Emily couldn't help but wonder if Beca just didn't want the whole focus of the interview being centered on Chloe.

The figure skating world had not stopped talking about her sudden decision to retire, there were even paparazzi still camping around the inn. If Chloe had gone, her mere presence would undoubtedly shift the focus on the topic of her being Beca's coach, their relationship as skater and coach, and all that stuff. Emily's only hung out with her for a few days and it was clear that Beca wasn't comfortable about the topic.

For one thing, the media could be harsh. Some of the nastier articles written about their whole situation painted Beca in a negative light. Her friends – Jesse, Amy, Denise, and Cynthia Rose – actively made sure that her idol would never see them. It would seem that she was very self-conscious about it.

"You doing okay, Legacy?" Cynthia Rose asked as she set a glass of sweet tea on the table for Emily. She simply nodded in response, accepting the drink and thinking about how lucky Beca was for having the support group that she had and how wonderful they were for easily warming up to her. Even Chloe had found some warmth and camaraderie with them as if she had always been a part of their group.

Denise was sweet and caring, and always checked on her and Beca in the ice house where Beca and Chloe welcomed her to the rink to train for a few days.

Cynthia Rose instantly drew up her new nickname, calling her a legacy figure skater since her mother, her grandmother, and her father were all figure skaters.

Amy was, well, Amy. Constantly teasing Beca, already catching Emily up with all the hidden jokes with the group and trying to get her to join some bet they had going about Beca and Chloe. Emily didn't really get what it was all about. Jesse, who was Beca ever supporting best friend, immediately adopted to his new role of a big brother figure for Emily and pulled her away from any shenanigan that may or may not be involved in the bet.

When Emily asked Jesse all about it on afternoon after skating practice, he simply cleared his throat and nodded towards the direction of her idol and the living legend skating goddess. Beca had been leaning on one of rails surrounding the rink, drinking from her water bottle as she listened to the critiques Chloe had about her routine while the redhead slowly skated towards her. Chloe was incredibly blunt, she didn't mince words at all, and Beca nodded, patiently listened, and took mental notes. As soon as Chloe reached her, the two of them fell into a more comfortable conversation, mostly about Beca's ability to lose herself in the music and "give her whole being over to the piece of her program" – Chloe's words, not Emily's.

It didn't take much to see what Jesse had meant, there was something there. The chemistry had been undeniable. Emily wasn't sure if it was from the way Chloe looked at Beca that Beca was astoundingly ignoring or if it was from the way Beca looked like she had found a form of pure, unadulterated happiness by skating with Chloe, and training with her on the ice.

And at that moment, Emily thought that another reason why Beca didn't want Chloe there with her at her interview was because she wanted to protect that, the happy little cocoon of her life at her home rink with Chloe, the art of masterfully avoiding any snooping media personnel included.

"Ah, finally! Shawshank's on!" Amy then cheered, drawing Emily's attention to the screen.

"So are you all ever going to tell me why you call her that?" Chloe asked, scrunching her face as if she was trying to think deeply about the origin of Beca's rarely used nickname.

Emily would be lying if she said she wasn't curious either, but the redhead was met with a synchronized shaking of heads by Amy, Jesse, Denise, and Cynthia Rose.

"If we tell you ourselves, Beca will kill us," Denise announced.

"Yeah, and I don't know about you Red, but just be thankful you've only seen the adorable side of our beloved Rebecca Mitchell," Cynthia Rose added.

Chloe huffed and conceded to their refusal of giving an explanation, turning her attention to Beca who seemed to be handling the interview well. Emily saw Chloe give a sigh of relief. "I really ought to burn that suit," she then said, noting the power suit that Beca was rocking in the interview. "She should've worn that dress I showed her."

Jesse smiled at the sentiment. "Yeah, but Beca's got her own distinct tastes in dresses."

"Well, she could've let me buy her one!" Chloe complained. "That suit doesn't do her justice."

"Good luck prying it away from her," Denise commented before raising the volume, the interviewer focusing on Beca after congratulating her for her recent win and asking her what her theme was for her program and what inspired her music choices.

Beca looked a bit bashful for a minute before taking a deep breath to calm herself and give a well worded reply.

"I struggled to find a theme for this Grand Prix. It was hard but in the end I chose love," Beca replied. "There have been so many people who have helped me in my competitive skating career, but somehow I never thought about it as love until now. I was lucky to have people supporting me but I've had a hard time accepting that support so I always thought that with all my struggles, and all the obstacles I've faced, I was fighting alone. But since Chloe came into my life and became my coach, I started seeing things differently. This love isn't something as clear-cut as romantic love, it's more of an abstract feeling that encompasses my relationship with Chloe, my friends, my family, and heck, even my own town. It took a long time but I finally realize that I'm surrounded by love every day."

Emily listened in awe as Beca spoke, thinking deeply about the words she said and the truth behind them. She felt the sentiments Beca had behind her response in her own heart, thinking about her mom and her own support group. For a second, Emily couldn't help but wonder if this was what Beca thought of when she skated, that's why it became so hard for anyone to tear their eyes off from her. Because she was skating from emotions buried deep inside her, translating music and movement into a language only understood by the heart.

"For the first time, there's somebody I want to hold onto," Beca went on. "That person is Chloe. I don't really have a name for that emotion, but I decided to call it love. It's changed me, I'm stronger now. And I'll prove it at the Grand Prix Final with a gold medal!" she declared.

"Oh Beca," Denise sighed and smiled. Cynthia Rose let out a chuckle following that and Amy started sniggering as she chanced a look at Chloe.

Emily followed her glance and saw Chloe smiling lightly before shaking her head and said, "But before that, the first thing we're going to do is still burning that suit. She needs a new one before the Cup of China."

Jesse laughed. "This season's definitely going to be interesting," he said, whipping out his phone and started typing something.

Emily decided to simply sip on her sweet tea wondering if she was now part of that group of friends Beca had mentioned and going over her whole response once more in her head.

With the power of love, Beca had decided to win the Grand Prix Final, and Emily was looking forward to seeing it become reality.

* * *

Aubrey stood next to the large window that lined one side of the ballet studio inside of the mansion of one Gail Abernathy, a former prima ballerina from the New York City ballet. She was taking a five minute break from her newly designed training regiment, popping on a pair of headphones and watching the interview Beca gave from a live stream on YouTube. She had given a similar interview just a few days ago in the city, dodging questions about her own best friend and the Hot Springs on Ice event.

_What in the world is that munchkin thinking? Declaring love for…,_ Aubrey thought to herself before Beca declared her intentions for winning the gold at the Grand Prix Finals.

"No chance in hell, hobbit!" Aubrey found herself exclaiming upon hearing Beca's own words. Since her return, Aubrey had to endure a lengthy lecture form her coach about the whole debacle of her career with her versus event with the younger skater.

She had to endure that humiliating defeat, sell her body and soul to her coach's ex-wife who was closely monitoring her training. She's never felt as much drive to compete against anyone before to prove them wrong, not even wit Chloe. Aubrey was ready to give it her all. Case in point, she was currently living with Gail in her own home so as to make sure she was getting enough rest and proper nutrition as well as actually dedicating her entire being to her cause of winning the gold medal.

She may not have known it, but Beca stoked a fire burning deep within Aubrey, one that was floundering the past couple of years, slowly dying out, content being in second or third place all while she deluded herself into thinking that what she was doing was enough to reach and dethrone Chloe.

Well, not anymore.

Because Aubrey knew the painful truth. This was her prime, and depending on her level of fitness, she would soon hit the twilight of her career. It was already quite a feat having a career that lasted as long as it did with all the up and coming prodigies from all over the world, ready to dethrone their position in the world of figure skating and threatening to end their careers early.

In a way it was that truth that had her so confused about her best friend's decisions and wondered why the heck Chloe would waste even a year of her prime left by giving it all up to coach Beca Mitchell of all people.

A notification popped up on her phone, distracting her from her thoughts, Jesse Swanson checking in on her. It was another thing that had her so confused. Chloe checking in on her once in a while made sense, her rival's best friend? Not so much.

But she supposed, Jesse Swanson also had a point. Aubrey needed a rival worthy of her, especially now that Chloe was gone. She reminded herself that Beca Mitchell has what it takes to be just that, she saw it firsthand.

Which meant that she had no time to be slacking off.

"Posen, the five minutes are up!" Gail then said, calling her attention as she entered the studio coming back from her own five minute break.

Aubrey wasted no time in getting back to work.

Beca Mitchell wasn't the only one who wanted to win the gold medal at the Grand Prix Final. She wasn't the only one who found love either and planned to use it to reach the goal.

Aubrey was going to make use of whatever time she had left to carve out her name in the history of ladies figure skating. And she'll win do that using the love she had for the sport. The love for figure skating she had forgotten, a love that she was made to remember by losing to Beca Mitchell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chloe will have another much awaited POV soon! Not next chapter, although the next one will be a hoot XD


	9. China's On! The Cup of China Short Program!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In Beijing for Beca's first Grand Prix assignment, Beca and Chloe meet friends and fellow competitors from around the world, gathered for the Cup of China.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, here's chapter 9, featuring the short program of Beca's first Grand Prix competition!

Beca could feel her hands grow cold in anticipation for her first Grand Prix event, The Cup of China. Every time she started to get nervous, she would close her eyes and take a deep breath to try and keep it at bay. She's gotten through once and qualified for the finals, she was going to go through again. She would tell herself that with Chloe by her side, she would be able to redeem herself from her poor showing at the final event the year before.

Other than the nerves, Beca wasn't exactly sure how to feel. She pretty much tried to keep to her usual routines, blocking out the noise and chatter from the other competitors with her headphones during down time from practice before the event, and when on ice, Beca still had earbuds on, focused only on listening to her music, going over her routine in peace. Well, for the most part. She did find it a little bit harder to stick to her usual ways now that Chloe was her coach though.

Their long flight to China was thankfully only spent with Chloe, Beca was worried she'd run into some of her competitors also representing the United States but Chloe said that most of the ones she knew personally, such as Stacie Conrad who she was competing with in The Cup of China, flew business or first class. That topic of conversation had Beca wondering if Chloe even ever flew coach before, the redhead having been unaccustomed to the usual tight spaces of their seats. The redhead, for her part tried her best to not let Beca feel bad about it. In the end, Chloe found a way to stop shifting around by falling asleep, leaning over Beca, and occupying most of Beca's space in the process.

Beca smiled at the thought, skating towards the edge of the rink, watching Chloe excitedly talking to some old friends. Earlier that day they had ran into Nathan Chen who was competing on his second event already. Having secured the gold medal in Skate America, the so-called quad king was already looking forward to getting to face his main rival, Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu, for the gold in the finals by once again landing on top of the podium for the men's event. Earlier, the two of them also ran into Adam Rippon, who was at the event as the coach of one of Beca's competitors in the ladies event.

Beca got off the ice as soon as she saw Chloe skipping towards her direction. "Great practice!" Chloe chirruped, looking bright and bubbly.

"How would you know? You were too busy catching up with old friends to even watch me skate," Beca teased. Months ago, Beca couldn't even string coherent sentences around her. It felt like so much had changed since then. Chloe was a tough couch, but she had a way of pushing Beca to grow and excel. Beca would like to think that it was one of the reasons why she eventually grew more comfortable in talking to her. At first, it was mostly skating that they talked about, Beca did have a lot to improve upon, after all, and her desire to grow help her get over the initial shyness and awkwardness that she had around the redhead skating goddess.

But Chloe was also a good friend. She was persistent and never gave up on trying to get to know Beca. Sure, she had very many issues when it came to personal boundaries. After the incident when Beca played her the music she wanted to skate to for her free program, Beca found it harder to shake off Chloe's insistence on having sleepovers. The two often found themselves in each other's company at night, with Mocha laying in between them – upon Beca's insistence because Chloe's choice in sleepwear was just too much to handle and she's already way too scandalized in having to avoid looking at Chloe's naked glory in the hot springs – actually getting to know each other, talking about childhood dreams, what got them into skating, and any other passions they have.

It made her feel more human, more real. Like an angel on earth instead of a goddess on a pedestal that Beca felt she could never reach. Those late night conversations, Chloe opening up to Beca about how she found freedom with skating and fell in love with the sport since she was a child, it only deepened their growing relationship.

What their relationship was exactly? Beca didn't want to answer. There were moments where Chloe would look at her and Beca could feel her heart fluttering. Once she got over being startstruck that Chloe was actually her coach and that she gets to see her every day, Beca noticed that there was a certain, fond and warm feeling that just wouldn't leave her being whenever she saw Chloe, heard her voice, or felt her touch her hand. And she most definitely did not want to think about it.

Not now, not when her sole focus had to be her competition.

But whatever that warm, fluttering feeling was, it did boost her confidence, and it did make her a little bit bolder, a little bit braver in crossing and blurring the lines she initially wanted to establish with Chloe when she felt a little too stunned to have the redhead ready and willing to give up her lustrous career to be her coach.

To her teasing remark, Chloe simply shook her head and chuckled. "We were talking about you, dummy. I was getting praises for bringing out the best in you, and making the event interesting."

Beca looked at her curiously, not sure what she meant about it. That wasn't exactly the first time the redhead got her confused with regards to a remark. Like when she admitted to Chloe that watching her skate was what inspired Beca to become a figure skater in the first place and Chloe simply chuckled and admitted she already knew that. Beca was incredibly embarrassed and wasted no time in trying to hunt her friends down to make them confess on who told her. To Beca's surprise, no one fessed up.

Her phone rang with a message, taking Beca out of her thoughts. Chloe went on to remind Beca they both needed to get some rest and sleep early for the short program the next day. "Sure," Beca replied, "But don't forget, you promised me we'd have dinner with Benji and Flo."

"I don't forget anything, Mitchell," Chloe replied, smugly. "It would be nice to catch up with Benji, and it would be my pleasure to meet your former rink-mate."

"Chloe!" Stacie Conrad, Beca's competition and one of Chloe's best friends, called out to the redhead just as they were about to leave. She ran towards them with her skates already on, about to start her own practice session. "How dare you not even call me when you were leaving New York?" she went on to say as she reached them, reaching over to Chloe for a hug.

"You know me, when I have something in my mind, I won't stop until I accomplish that goal," Chloe replied as Stacie let her go. It caught Beca unaware though when she then leaned over to pull Beca into a hug herself.

Stacie was tall, beautiful and charming, with her dark hair all pulled up in a tight bun. While she had a warm personality, completely the opposite of Chloe's other best friend, her personal brand of confidence and sensuality often intimidated Beca. That's why Beca was pretty sure that while they may know each other's name, they didn't know each other personally. They never even talked before.

Yet here she was, Staci Conrad, talking to Beca as if they had known each other for decades. "You little minx, already keeping Chloe all to yourself." she had teased, perplexing Beca even more. "You should let Chloe return to the world of competitive figure skating, it's no fun without her here. I am glad though that you're here to spice things up. It's not the same without having to compete with these one over here," Stacie went on to say, pointing to Chloe, "but her absence does leave the throne empty for the taking. So you better be prepared, Mitchell, because I'm ready to fight for the gold."

"Uh, okay, sure," Beca replied, not really sure what to say.

"You should come to dinner with us!" Chloe then said, remembering their earlier conversation. "It would be fun! And I can finally buy you that drink I owe you."

Stacie chuckled, casually putting an arm around Beca. "I don't know, the two of us might get in some trouble together," she playfully said, throwing a wink towards Chloe's direction. "Maybe next time, Beale. I will come and collect for that drink though, especially if you do well this season."

"Huh?" Beca piped up, getting more and more lost in the conversation.

"I sent her the link to your mini-Chloe-inspired performance, Mitchell," Stacie replied, spinning Beca around. She placed two fingers under Beca's chin, tilting her face up to meet her gaze, "So what shall my prize be?" she asked, rather seductively.

"I think it is better you don't join us tonight," Chloe then said, quickly pulling Beca towards her and then shielding her away from Stacie, who simply laughed.

"I do hope you enjoy dinner," Stacie then replied before leaving them be.

"Come on, we don't want to keep old friends waiting," Chloe then said, before Beca could even wrap her head around the strange encounter, the redhead's hand reaching for Beca's, interlacing their fingers together as they made their way out.

* * *

Jesse was feeling stoked. He's always watched the Grand Prix series back home, but he had never had the opportunity to go watch Beca perform on such a huge stage as this one. Amy was sad she couldn't join them due to some renovations that needed to be finished at her bar, and Cynthia Rose and Denise we're hosting a livestream watch of the contest back at the ice house, with the entire town buzzing and ready to support Beca with her endeavors thanks to recent events. It helped that Chloe had all of a sudden became their town's face of tourism so their mayor was all up on the figure skating business at the moment.

Jesse sat high up on the stands, sitting next to Emily and her mom who also managed to snag tickets for the event. They were all gifts from Chloe who figured that Beca would need all the homegrown personal support she could get. "She fell hard from her jumps during last year's finals. She seems fine and she's nailing most of the quads now. I'm just afraid her confidence would shake if she makes a mistake or she might cave under the pressure thanks to what happened last year. Having familiar faces around would help," Chloe had reasoned when she gave him the ticket. He couldn't help but smile at the sentiment. It meant that while Chloe was critical, she cared deeply for Beca too.

It also meant that she was already watching her closely before.

"You really care about her," Jesse had noted then.

Chloe had simply shrugged. "I want to be the one who's able to bring her out of ay slump, and while I have gotten to know Beca better, I'm just not sure I'll be equipped enough to handle everything. I spoke with Benji on the phone, and he's had difficulty of bringing her out of her slumps because she always had her walls up. I just… I want her to feel that no matter happens, we'll be here to catch her if she falls. That's it'll be okay."

And how could Jesse argue with that?

The performances before Beca's own were quite impressive, but only a few of the participants skated clean and dazzled the crowd. Nathan Chen brought everyone in awe of his short program, there was a strange display of questionable skating from one of the skaters who trained under Chloe's former coach – some guy named Bumper – who skated Gregorian chants while dressed up like some Kiss groupie reject. He somehow managed to finish fifth thanks to a clean skate but Jesse really has no clue what to make of it.

The ladies event so far had been quite impressive too. One of the first to skate was Lilliy Onakuramara, also a skater under Chloe's former coach, who skated under some heavily dramatic operatic music. She was dressed to kill with her costume, the commentators talking about how her theme for the season was about vengeance.

Yeah, Jesse would hate to be the one who inspired the Lilly's choice for her theme.

One of the other notable performances was that of Flo Fuentes', Beca's old time friend and former teammate of sorts under her former coach, Benji. She came to represent her country, Guatemala, which was not exactly known for figure skating but from what Jesse saw, she did her country proud. Her costume and music choice were both inspired by her national roots too.

She was also just a sweet and smart girl. Jesse met her for the first time in person the night before. He and Emily went to join Beca, Chloe, Benji, and Flo for dinner but ended up running late because Emily got stuck with an unplanned interview when someone spotted her in the crowd of skaters in town.

By the time they got to the restaurant – some small, hole-in-the wall kind of place – Benji was at his limit for drinks, Chloe was incredibly drunk, her hands hung around Beca and her jacket thrown to the side, feeling a little hot inside their personal booth. Flo was taking pictures for her Instagram account about the whole thing. Emily and Jesse weren't exactly sure if eating there would still be the plan when Chloe still felt a little warm and started taking her shirt off, to which Beca panicked and tried to make her keep it. Jesse decided to cover Emily's eyes – she was too young for any sort of debauchery that might transpire – and ended up dragging Emily out of the booth and the restaurant.

In the end, they waited for the group outside of the restaurant. Jesse volunteered to help Flo get Benji back in his room while Emily and Beca helped Chloe get back to their shared room. While Jesse couldn't speak for any other shenanigans that might have occurred on the way to help settle Chloe down – he wasn't sure whose face was redder when they regrouped later on, Beca's or Emily's – he did get the chance to chat with Flo. She had nothing but compliments to give for Beca, and wished her the best for the competitions. "If I'm gonna lose, I'll gladly lose to her. Beca deserves it. But for now, I can't think about that. I want to win. I'm gonna win."

Jesse had smiled in response, happy to see that Beca had many friends and rivals to help her get better and better as a skater. It was nice that they were all trying to push each other to grow and achieve new heights in figure skating.

As he watched her short program, Jesse remembered what she said last night, about how she wants to put her country on the map for figure skating, inspire other Guatemalans to try the sport, and embody the joy and love she felt whenever she skated. She had no quads planned for her short yet she was currently at first place. He had no doubts that she was most definitely making her country proud.

Only two skaters were left, and Beca was up next. Jesse turned to look at Emily as soon as Beca's name was called they both stood up and cheered her on, waving a banner with "Go Beca" strewn on it.

There were good performances all around, but the crowd was not prepared to witness Beca's Eros short program.

* * *

Beca sat in disbelief in the kiss and cry when her scores were announced. Another record breaking score for her in terms of her season's best and personal bests. Chloe looked incredibly surprised and happy too. Beca gave her a rare show of confidence, a smirk playing on her lips, a silent conversation in her head with the redhead. She was the juiciest pork cutlet bowl out there to Chloe. While she doesn't know the actual story that Beca had devised for herself whenever she skated to the piece, she knew that Chloe loved pork cutlet bowls just as much as she did. The beam of pride in the redhead's incredibly blue eyes was enough to tell her that she very much loved her performance, and that her performance definitely whetted her appetite.

The thing though, was that Beca felt like Chloe wasn't giving herself enough credit whenever she talked about the hard work Beca had put to reach this level. None of all of this would have been possible if not for Chloe being by her side.

She had been so nervous, so scare at the start, when they were devising her short program, afraid that she wouldn't translate eros quite well. But now, whenever she skated to "Eros", Beca could see the picture of the tale she told herself quite clearly in her head. She could hear Chloe's words during practice, "Feel the softness of the egg! The juiciness of the pork! Remember, you're the most tempting pork cutlet bowl ever!"

She never skated that well before. Chloe kept saying that there was a sense of freedom to how she skated, but Beca never truly felt that. She did now, with the knowledge that Chloe was watching her.

_Keep your eyes on me, only on me,_ she would tell herself as she skated her short program.

She had grown. In the short time, Beca knew, she had changed for good. And while all she wanted was

But she didn't. She decided to hold back for now, not wanting to display any sort of fondness or affection for her coach in front of the cameras. She wouldn't know what to do or handle herself if she get asked a personal question regarding Chloe. Her heart was still trying to break free from her chest after Chloe tried to drag her down to her side last night, her voice dropping low, telling Beca that she wasn't going to let Stacie get any prizes from her. "I'm the only one…" she ended up mumbling while cuddling close to Beca on their joined beds – Beca wasn't even sure if they were allowed to, but at Chloe's insistence, they joined their twin beds together – the redhead's lips dangerously close to Beca's ears, the feeling of her hot breath causing her skin to prickle a bit.

"Should I even be here? Is it okay to be even seeing any of this?" Emily had started awkwardly mumbling to herself, pacing back and forth in the room unsure if she should leave Beca and Chloe alone already or not. That got Beca to ungracefully drag herself out of the bed. She knew that Chloe had wanted her to have a good night's rest, but heading out to join Jesse, Emily, and Flo for a night cap and actual food for the young girl and her best friend did her good to calm down a bit. When she got back, Chloe was out cold, and Beca managed to sleep in peace. At least Chloe was too passed out drunk to change from her outfit of wrinkled button down and jeans to her usual flimsy lingerie.

One skater was left, Stacie Conrad. Beca's eyes landed on the skater who looked relax and well rested. She looked like a divine bombshell with her skintight dazzling outfit, highlighting all her curves and the black and red color theme definitely bringing out her features. Stacie seemed to have noticed Beca and threw a wink at her way before skating towards the ice as her name was called, and somehow, Beca felt that while her eros performance enticed the crowd, not even the ice could handle the heat of the performance coming up next.

* * *

_That's some kind of protégé you've got there, Chloe,_ Stacie thought to herself, awaiting her music to start, _but I'm the queen of eros, and I won't be dethroned._

True to her word, Stacie evoked a certain kind of charm, sensuality, and eros – so much eros – to with her performance. Her focus entirely on taking home the gold. She's been chasing after Chloe for such a long time, and while fighting off Aubrey Posen was fun, it was the gold medal she was after. Becoming the undisputed best in the world.

Did it hurt when Chloe left the skating world? Yes, it did. Because that was such a slap to her face, a kind of acknowledgement that she may never be good enough for Chloe to be satisfied with her current competition. But she couldn't really blame the redhead. The first time she saw Beca skate, she could in her best friend's eyes a kind of enchantment that can't be broken. Beca may not be aware of it, but she was an absolute threat. And Stacie can't succumb to the competition.

She had to prove that she was worthy to be Chloe's competitor, and even though she wouldn't get the pleasure of dethroning the so-called skating goddess, she wouldn't be deterred from her goal of becoming the new queen of figure skating too.

She had only a few more years left, after all, so she was going to give it her all.

Many lovers may come and go, but her love for figure skating will always come first.

Stacie repertoire of jumps were pretty impressive despite the limited number of jumps that she could do. Her ability to connect to her music was also unparalleled, except perhaps for Beca Mitchell. She always chose her own music and skated to pieces that she could connect to. It brought her to new levels of ecstasy, losing herself in the moment as she skated.

As she finished her routine, she was met with a loud round of applause and cheers, and a shower of bouquets of roses from many admirers.

Despite an ice-melting performance, her score wasn't enough to beat Beca's though. And with her performance coming to an end, it meant that she was coming in second to the free program, with Beca at first, and Flo Fuentes close behind.

"W-wait, I'm first?!" Beca exclaimed, shocked as the results got revealed.

"Is she going to be okay?" Stacie asked Chloe out of genuine concern.

"She came first before, during her last contest," Chloe noted, deep at thought.

"Yeah, but that was the challenger series. I know you're on a level of your own, but for us humans, the pressure is on in the Grand Prix," Stacie noted.

Because she knew it form her years of experience. She could definitely feel it then. And she wasn't even the one to beat.

"She'll be fine," Chloe replied a little uncertain as Beca started acting stiffly around her other competitors.

"Hmph, lucky shot. But the contest isn't over," John said as he passed them by along with Lilly, who was currently fourth. "When you're ready to stop playing coach and get tired of your current project, let me know. But without you in the Grand Prix, Chloe, the competition is wide open."

"I'm not playing coach," Chloe replied adamantly.

"We'll see. But you're inexperience will soon catch up to you if you can't read your pupil," John then remarked as he noted Beca's behavior, nervous ticks starting to show. "You're career as a coach will only be as good as the skaters under your wing."

"Oh John, just let it go already, I made my decision," Chloe then said, thinking this was still all about Chloe's sudden retirement.

But somehow, despite the brashness of his delivery, Stacie thought that John might actually be giving her advice. Beca Mitchell crumbled under the pressure of last year's finals, and to Chloe, pressure never really existed. She was so single-minded with her goal to win and passionate about skating that it never bothered her.

Stacie sighed, she wanted to win. But she'd like to win against a top competitor. She hoped that coming in first on a big event wouldn't bring Beca Mitchell down now.

Especially since she just made the competition interesting again after such an incredible short program.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Flo's character is based on a Thai skater, Phichit Chulanont, in the original anime while Stacie's based on the overtly sexy and sensual Suisse skater, Christophe Giacometti. Flo's felt natural in a sense as her anime's counterpart was making waves as a Thai skater making it to the Grand Prix for the first time and Flo's representing a country not exactly known for figure skating as well. Meanwhile, Stacie's was a no-brainer. If you watch the anime, I was tempted to have her be Otabek (wrt his relationship with Yurio, of course), but there really isn't anyone else who could pull off Chris's character in terms of an adaptation with the pitch perfect crew. If you also watch the anime or are familiar with it, yes, I made things a little more PG-13 and skipped a certain comment that Chris makes to himself towards the end of his eros-filled performance…
> 
> We focused more with Stacie on the performances. We'll get quick, quirky nods to Lilly in both this chapter and the next, but in terms of competitors, Flo will get the spotlight next.
> 
> Also, prepare to fangirl for the next chapter, that's it. That's all of a teaser I'm giving ;D


	10. Breaking Barriers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feeling the pressure of everyone's expectations, Beca becomes extremely anxious and distressed. Meanwhile, the other skaters take to the ice in their attempt to beat Beca, with Flo pulling off her best skate in her career.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's chapter 10, in which our favorite skaters compete for the gold in the free skate, and Chloe incites some controversy. She can't help it.

It was game face on. No room or mistakes.

It was just the music, the blades, and the ice.

And the rest of the world whose ice were on her.

Flo heard her name being called. She took a deep breath as she smiled and skated to the center of the stage.

Stacie left it all on the ice with another enticing and seductive performance. If Flo were being honest, her competitor's skate was so hot that the ice beneath her blade looked like they melted. After such an amazing performance, she couldn't crumble now. She had to meet the challenge head on, respond to the amazing gauntlet being thrown by the amazing group of women she were competing against.

Flo had been a little distracted, concerned by her best friend's jittery antics. The pressure was getting to Beca, and in a way it was getting to her too. But she was sure that if anyone could get her to calm down, it would be the five time world champion coach she had.

So Flo took one last deep breath as she waited for her music to start. It wasn't the gold medal she was after, although winning would be nice. It wasn't being the world champion either, that was just a perk. She was here to put Guatemala on the map of the world of figure skating.

As the music started, Flo let her movement on the ice do the talking. She came from a country that didn't boast much on skating rinks, but the videos she had watched growing up had gotten her falling in love with figure skating. She did everything she could, with the support of her parents, to fight for this dream. Now that she's got her chance, she wasn't going to waste it. She was going to show the world her love for the sport, prove that the Russians, and the Americans, and the like weren't the only ones born to rule over the ice. She was here to represent all those who dreamed of skating on one of the biggest stages in competitive figure skating. She was here to prove that with hard work, you can turn your dreams into reality.

Flo's emotions poured into her performance, dazzling the crowd. Her music, her costume, they were all chosen to pay homage to her home country. She wanted to give it her all, make everyone tuning in proud. She'd like to think it would be enough. Even just this once.

She only had two quads in her repertoire and while she did use them in the short program, she nailed them in her free program. She skated cleanly, and when it was all over, she was showered with flowers and stuff toys along with the applause.

She may not be the best of the best, and maybe one day she could reach that top, but skating was her life.

She could only hope to inspire others and make them fall in love with the sport just like she once did.

Because that's what skating was.

* * *

Beca looked like a total zombie, and Chloe was beyond worried about her. She hoped that she could get her back on track, shake it all off, and focus before she skated, but she was running out of time.

After the short program, reporters started to clamor for interviews and some of the nastier competitors started to their psychological tirade. It was an exhausting day.

Chloe, being a five time champion for the Grand Prix and the World Championship, was used to this. Skating was no problem. Her love for the sport and her love to surprise the audience always gave her the boost in energy and confidence needed for these competitions. She always had a bubbly personality, quite a natural being the darling of the crowd, so the interviews were easy for her too. She also never gave a damn to other people's thoughts. For as long as she didn't step on anyone's toes, she wasn't going to listen to any snide remarks, comments, or passive-aggressive comments from the people she was competing with, their coaches, hell even their mothers. She wonderful parents who supported her, a great coach, despite being rough around the edges sometimes, and she was friends with most of the people who were her actual competition.

Beca, well, she was not used to it at all.

It started with the barrage of interviews after the first event. Sure, some of the reporters were just doing their jobs at asking both of them a few questions. Chloe hated the fact that she was persistently asked when she was going back to figure skating and for how long did she intend to play the coach, but it was part of the game. She gave firm responses, showing her full support to Beca, all while Beca was asked questions of how she was going to show the world how much she's grown under Chloe as a coach, or about how she's about to start Chloe's new legacy as it was all riding on her now.

Then there were the side comments from the other skaters, comments that Stacie, and thankfully Lilly, was quick to silence. Words have quite the power sometimes, and she was worried that Beca had let them all come in and weigh her down.

She started getting antsy the night of the first event, not being able to rest much at all. She barely ate anything either. Chloe asked for help from Benji in how she could help Beca but even Benji was out of his depth.

"She would get caught up in her head before but not like this. Beca's that much of a glutton that her anxieties couldn't deter her from scarfing anything down. But this, well, Beca's never been the one to beat before," he responded.

Chloe tried a mellow approach after that, understanding that Beca was putting pressure on her own self and believing that her usual blunt and tough love approach – something that had always worked on her and had somewhat worked on Beca used in the right way – she settled for a gentler approach with talking to her that morning. "Don't practice any jumps, not even during warm-up later before you go on. You didn't get much sleep at all last night so it's better to take the relaxed approach here," she had said.

But did Beca listen? No, of course not. It's not that Chloe never listened to her coach once in a while – okay, so maybe that happened a lot – but Beca did, she listened to her. Although, Chloe has noticed a rebellious streak in her too, throwing in unplanned jumps and trying to push herself a little too much more than what they had initially planned.

Because of it, Beca fumbled all her jumps during training.

Chloe insisted she get some rest between from the on until she finally needs to get on. She even managed to have Jesse pass of a cot he had procured from somewhere to help Beca sleep on a bench back in the locker rooms. "Don't worry about it Beca, I'll wake you up before warm up. Just get some rest," Chloe insisted.

But of course Beca didn't listen, the younger woman shifting around and staring awake at the ceiling. Every time Chloe asked what was wrong, she just shrugged it off, and the walls the redhead thought she had crumbled were back up again.

Before she knew it, it was time for their group to warm up, and Beca falls on the ice attempting another jump.

Chloe was out of her depth. She tried calling Jesse for help as Beca started pacing around, her mind deep in thought, looking like an absolute zombie as she walked up and down the halls that lead back to the locker room.

"We usually just talk her down, but no, I've never seen her the way you're describing her now," Jesse replied, sounding worried. "Sometimes, to help her focus and motivate her, we would try to give her something to fight for. That usually works."

So Chloe tried just that. She had a couple more minutes before Beca had to absolutely go on, so she grabbed her hand and marched on to the parking lot, dragging Beca along, to have some moment of privacy.

She had to give Beca something to fight for.

Chloe took a deep breath before regarding a tired and weary-looking Beca. She was shaking, looking as if she was frightened by what was coming up next. It broke her heart to see just how affected Beca had become because of what other people might have said. Chloe could easily play off Aubrey's harsh remarks, besides, she knew that her best friend would never actually tear Beca down for the heck of it. She understood Aubrey's sentiments, how she could see Beca's talents and how it frustrates her to see it wasted because of the fears that held Beca back. But she could never forgive those who got in her head for playing tricks, and Chloe could never forgive herself if she let Beca crumble for such a reason.

She cared a lot about Beca. Despite what other people might have though, she had always seen her ever since the two of them competed on the same stage. A quite little girl who kept to her own, so nervous and seemingly aloof. She would catch her looking, stealing a glance once in a while before shyly and hurriedly looking away. Chloe had always wanted to say hello, but she never knew how to. Over the year, it became a thing of her own, a thought that nudged her whenever the opportunity arose, but a thought she had buried nevertheless. Her main goal was to win, and though Beca Mitchell popped into her mind once in a while, mostly whenever Chloe would see her again, her presence had never been so strong as now. Still, she knew, deep down, that the simple act of saying hello to Beca had to be perfect. For some reason, the younger skater just had that effect on her. There was that want to understand Beca, unravel her mystery. This was her moment to do so.

Perhaps it was with how she showed her heart on her sleeve whenever she was on the ice. The way she connected to the music and lost herself to her own program, doing more than just convey emotions but making you feel it in your heart as you watch her perform. Perhaps that was it the reason why Chloe could not take her eyes of Beca. That kind of freedom and vulnerability, that kind of ability to put a piece of you in someone else's heart, leave an impact, and make it last a lifetime.

As she got to know Beca, she saw just how fragile the heart behind that vulnerability was. She was happy Beca trusted her to catch a glimpse of it. Chloe was happy that she was getting through her. She was proud she could be a part of this journey with setting the real Beca, all the skater that she was and could be. She only wanted her to take flight completely, let go, break free, of all the things that bound and restricted her. If anything, it drew her all the more to the younger woman.

But she wasn't going to let her personal feelings get the best of her now. Her focus was Beca, as a mentee, and being Beca's coach. She had to help her give the best performance she could.

And if winning the gold wasn't enough to motivate her, to keep her focus and shut out the noise of the world, then maybe having something lose would do the trick.

Because if trying to salvage Beca's fragile heart wasn't the answer, if Benji, Jesse, and her friends aren't entirely sure of what to do because Beca might have hidden her incredibly vulnerable self from them, then maybe shattering her heart would be the key.

Chloe cleared her throat. She didn't want to say it, nor does she fully mean it, but she had to snap Beca back to reality somehow. "It is partially my fault if you mess up your program today and don't take a spot on the podium. I'll take responsibility for it and resign as your coach," Chloe went on to say, and more than immediately her words had taken their desired effect.

Well, almost.

Because as much as it did wake Beca up from her own delirium of dark thoughts, the sudden shock had brought about tears in the young skater's eyes. Tears that were falling freely down her cheeks, like a damn had broken and she could no longer hold the bursting water back.

"Chloe," she said in between sobs and sniffles, "why would you say something like that?"

_Oh no, it absolutely shattered,_ Chloe thought to herself, already thinking up a way to dial it back down. She thought at least Beca would be mad or upset. She didn't even consider Beca being brought to tears by it.

"S-sorry, Beca," Chloe started to say, taking a step towards her in an attempt to try and console her. "I wasn't being serious, I only wanted to – "

"I'm used to being blamed for my own failures!" Beca interrupted her short as she went on and continued to cry. Her voice shook, rising a little from being overwhelmed by her emotions. But this time, I'm anxious because it may reflect badly on you! I've been wondering if you secretly wanted to quit because of it!"

"Of course I don't!" Chloe reassured her, reaching out and resting her hands on Beca's shoulder to give her a reaffirming squeeze.

"I know that!" Beca replied, letting her feeling out.

"I…" Chloe started to say, letting her hands fall on her side. She didn't think Beca's sudden outburst would affect her so much. Then again, this was kind of her fault too. "I'm not really sure on what to do," Chloe admitted. "I'm not always god with people crying either. Should I hug you? Tell me Beca, what do you need? Do you want me to call Jesse?"

"NO!" Beca yelled, trying to contain her sobs before looking up to meet Chloe's gaze head on, her stormy blue eyes filled with conviction as she spoke. "Just have more conviction that I'll win than I do, you dummy! You don't have to do anything, just stand by me!"

_I really messed this up, didn't I?_ Chloe asked herself as she watched Beca dry her own tears and start marching towards the exit door to get back inside. Chloe followed sullenly behind her, deep at thought.

_I guess I still have a lot to learn too._

She'd been focused on herself for such a long time, perfecting her programs and sharpening her skills to stay on top that she had forgotten what it felt like chasing after something. Some distant dream or a goal to achieve.

Flo was currently on ice, with Beca up next. Chloe wasn't sure if she was enough to cheer Beca on the sidelines. But after having a good cry, she found Beca taking a deep breath to study herself. As Flo finished her routine, Beca got herself ready and looked Chloe straight in the eyes. Determination shone behind them as she reached out a hand to Chloe. She felt Beca give her own hand a gentle squeeze and Chloe smiled. The tables had turned.

Chloe watched as Beca took her place on the ice. She took a deep breath herself, mostly to steady her nerves. She was still worried for Beca. She had little to no rest, with her program difficulty slowly increasing since her last performance at the challenger series. They decided to include three quads this time, Beca having mastered the quad loop, quad toe loop, and quad salchow, all sprinkled in the first half of her performance. They decided to throw in a triple axel in the middle too.

Chloe brought her hand under her chin, her thumbs brushing against her own lips as she kept her eyes on Beca, waiting with baited breath for her music to start. "You still have a lot to learn if the person you're supposed to be mentoring ends up being the one to cheer you up," John had commented as an aside as they passed each other by. He just left the kiss and cry with Lilly, having only wrapped up a few interviews. Chloe paid him no attention but did see Lilly give her a double thumbs up, reassuring her a little.

Once the music finally started, Chloe watched in awe as Beca pulled her performance flawlessly. The first half went without a hitch and she landed all her jumps. She knew, from practice, that Beca's stamina was quite impressive. What had surprised her was that even with little sleep and all the mental blocks that would have caused her to pop her jumps or fumble and fall down, she had managed to fight through the fatigue. Maybe crying your heart out was a good thing after all, it allowed some relief for Beca's heavy heart.

As Beca's routine died down, Chloe notice her making a little change for her final routine. Beca started to assume the position to enter what Chloe would have guessed as a quad flip.

_Beca, no!_ Chloe thought to herself. _No, no, don't do it!_

Sure, she pulled off the exact same stunt after Chloe lectured her about the importance of acknowledging her past and whatever her fans may see in that, failure or not, back in the challenger series. But to try and attempt it towards the end of her skate, with little sleep and tired legs, was just completely insane. She messed up her landing the last time and ended up hitting her nose. Chloe feared for the worst. If she couldn't pull this off, Beca could seriously get hurt.

As Beca took off, Chloe felt her heart stop beating, holding onto her breath as she saw Beca spin up in the air four times. She only found herself breathing again once Beca safely landed the jump as neatly as she could. The landing could do some work, as she wobbled a little and started the next part of her routine in an awkward position that could earn her some deductions from her grade of execution, but she did it.

Beca was skating to the last few seconds of her program and the crowd was already going wild. She had left Chloe stunned along the way too, pulling off the exact same jump Chloe used to end her program last year.

But more than that, more than drawing Chloe into her program, more than mesmerizing her with an incredible performance considering the state she was in coming into it, Chloe found that something she was looking for.

That something that was missing.

The reason behind her intrigue of Beca, of wanting to make a great first impression.

She had found the feeling she had buried upon stumbling upon its seeds in her pursuit of glory. The one staring her right in her face as she found herself inexplicably drawn to Beca, the one dancing around her thoughts in her attempts to get to know her.

Feelings she had found one night not so long ago, confronting her once more, giving her the courage to try and strike up a conversation the next day with her own version of a simple hello.

Overwhelmed, Chloe watched as Beca took a bow. She was greeted with a thundering applause that put the most beautiful smile on her face. As soon as Beca turned to face Chloe however, she ran towards the edge of the rink where Beca would make her exit.

Beca, on a high, skated as fast as she could towards Chloe's direction, beaming. "Chloe, I did great right?"

Chloe stopped on her tracks and smiled. Just as Beca was near to reaching her, she jumped forward, towards the rink, wrapping her arms around Beca's head to cushion her from the inevitable fall. Her lips had found Beca's own as she expressed all what she could not say, all that she could not find any words for, with a sweet and chaste kiss.

The audience was stunned silent, followed by a collective gasp that could be heard from all around the arena. As soon as they landed, Chloe pulled away from the kiss and briefly rested her head on Beca's shoulder.

The crowd cheered – although to be honest, what else could they really do? – with the brazen show of affection. Chloe lifted her head and smiled shyly at Beca whose cheeks were a deep crimson. "This is the only thing I could think of to surprise you more than you surprised me," she admitted. Although she would be lying if she said there weren't any other reason behind it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I nearly named this chapter "Breaking Free"… but anyways, who saw that coming? Chloe's full of surprises, eh? Next chapter's an OG chapter for this fic. I figure our gals who are most definitely just pals need some break from the figure skating action 3
> 
> Also, we'll find out who won next chapter ;)


	11. Set My Heart on Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca confronts certain feelings brewing about inside her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delays, my internet connection was interrupted the past week. Anyways, here's the next chapter.

Beca's head feels like it was going to explode.

The past week has been one crazy rollercoaster ride. Despite the amazing performance from her Cup of China free skate, she narrowly missed the gold medal by two points, with Flo eventually winning it with her inspiring performance, and landed in second place. Considering how tired she had been – what with her lack of sleep and having just cried her heart out – she was still happy with the results.

But it wasn't the results that had sent her on a tailspin. It was what happened immediately after the performance, with Chloe lunging towards her, the two falling down the ice, with Chloe's lips on Beca's own.

It's been a week and she's not over it at all.

She's also been acting weird because of it.

Part of the reason why was the media. While strides have been made in the usually conservative world of figure skating, skater's sexualities and relationships were typically kept on a low profile. Not like Beca had any romantic relationship with Chloe at all, and she was most definitely not thinking about it or so she tries to convince herself. But Beca did understand that the kiss they shared, if it meant anything at all to the redheaded skating goddess who lack any personal boundaries, could potentially have repercussions on Beca's career, and most especially Chloe's.

For now, she's decided to disconnect from the world of social media and focus on her training.

Except Chloe made it hard to focus on training.

Chloe who she had somewhat avoided other than during their training periods since the incident.

Chloe who was as bubbly as always, other than the fact that she's trying to get more clingy and touchy-feely.

Chloe who… Chloe who…

Beca groaned and Luke couldn't help but laugh at her antics. She had been hiding away from Chloe by chilling in Luke's office during her down town. Because her heart and her mind just couldn't find any peace. Chloe was there, standing right in front of her, very well within her reach.

But what does it truly mean to her?

She had always looked up to Chloe, and Beca wasn't an idiot. She knew she cared about the redhead. In the short time they've lived together, she also knew that she loved Chloe. She said so herself. But love her how?

It wasn't that same kind of familial kind of love that she felt towards her father, Jesse, or Luke who had been like an older brother since he started working at their inn. She didn't share the same kind of affections she had with Amy, Cynthia Rose, Denise, or even Flo towards Chloe. No it wasn't _storge_ or _philia._

It wasn't mania, she wasn't obsessing about Chloe despite the incident being the only thing playing in the theater of her mind at the moment.

But it wasn't simply _eros_ or _agape_ either. Beca wasn't even sure if she had certain desires when it came to the redhead – although no matter how used to seeing Chloe naked in the bath she got, her heart would just not stop banging on her chest every time – and while she cares above and beyond for her coach and idol, and while she accepted Chloe for all she was, Beca wasn't entirely sure about calling it unconditional love either.

Simply saying it was romantic love felt short. It wasn't it either.

Asking herself these questions proved to be futile, especially since Luke wouldn't stop his sniggering despite being kept busy with some paperwork.

"What is it that you find so funny?"

Luke leaned back on his chair and turned away from his desktop to address Beca who was currently sprawled awkwardly on one of the seats across his desk. "Love has its reasons which reason itself cannot fathom."

"You're point?" Beca asked annoyed.

"You're trying to rationalize to yourself if that kiss meant something, and internalize the way it made you feel without actually talking to the other person involved. The only way to find your answer is by talking to Chloe."

"It's not that simple," Beca argued.

Luke looked at her sympathetically. "But it is, Beca. I know you too well for your own good. You may try and act like some kind of unreadable fortress, but you always wear your heart on your sleeves. You love Chloe, you all but declared that to the world, but what you have failed to realize is what kind of love you feel for her. Well, have you even thought for a second that it's the one that doesn't fit perfectly in any of the categories you think you know? Have you ever considered the possibility that it's the love that everyone searches for, but only a few truly do find? Stop being daft, Becky."

"I… you… just… shush," Beca replied, flustered. Somehow Luke's words rang true to her.

And while she doesn't have a perfect word for it, that love that Chloe stirred inside of her, she did know something to be true. She's never felt the kind of vulnerability that Chloe made her feel. A vulnerability that made Beca brave, confident, and strong.

Maybe Luke was right, she needed to stop hiding. She and Chloe needed to talk.

* * *

"I get, she's over thinking. She's too focused on what the various media outlets say about it, but seriously? How much more can I make her see that I don't care about it? Why does she have to retreat back to her shell like that? We can't live in fear, it's a new decade anyways, and people should just get a move on already. Love is love, and Beca needs to get her ass out of her head!" Chloe ranted, huffing as she skated back and forth one side of the rink. Her training session had ended with Beca an hour ago, but Chloe needed some alone time to think out loud. Aubrey wasn't answering her phone, so she found the next best group of people – perhaps even better since they knew Beca practically all their lives.

Denise, Cynthia Rose, and Jesse stuck to the opposite side of the rink, leaning on the railings. Chloe could feel their eyes following her skating back and forth. Amy couldn't make the impromptu meeting as she was busy getting ready for a busy night ahead for work.

"Um, red, you do know that you're practically declaring love for our Mitchell," Denise commented.

Chloe stopped skating and stood in front of the trio looking a little flustered. For the first time she felt her confidence escape her a little. After all, she was standing in front of Beca's protective friends. "What if I am?"

Cynthia Rose chuckled. "Relax, Beale, we approve. Besides, we could see Mitchell's own feelings for you from the first moment we saw you skate. We can also see how much you care about her. I guess, we're just a little confused as to the how's and why's. We're happy you have feelings for her, but it feels like we missed something."

Chloe smiled softly remembering all her award encounters with Beca before. She might not have been aware of it, but Chloe did know who Beca was. She always thought there was something special about her.

Then there was the Grand Prix Final from the previous year, their first actual encounter. She had been so caught up about how to approach Beca and say her "hello" perfectly for the first time, that when the actual time arrived, Chloe was the one caught off guard.

And then Beca was back to being award. But then she skates Chloe's free program months later, the way she moved on ice. Chloe could see not just Beca's talent but her heart as well. So how could she not fall for her? It happened oh so suddenly that Chloe barely even noticed it happening and no matter what, no matter how much she tried to keep her own blossoming feelings in check, she couldn't help it. Sometimes crushes stay as crushes, and sometimes they even fade away when you get to know the person. But not with Beca.

Getting to know Beca had been a rollercoaster of an experience. The younger skater had been giving her too many confusing mixed signals that Chloe felt like Beca's not even aware of it. _How obliviously thick can one person get?_

Her thoughts were brought back to the present when Jesse chuckled. "I don't think it matters if we missed anything, just hang in there Chloe. Beca will come around, she just needs a nice gentle push."

"More like a hefty shove," Denise commented, amused.

"Either way, she'll get there," Jesse then said. "You've already helped her grow so much, and she can't avoid this forever. If it takes a bit too long, we'll talk to her too, see where her mind's at."

Chloe nodded, conceding to Jesse's point. With Beca, patience was key. She's already waited this long, she can wait a bit longer with getting to know where Beca's heart was.

* * *

When in doubt, skate. When one's mind was full, skate. When overwhelmed with emotions, skate.

These were Beca's mantras.

Although she might want to add, when one wants the universe to decide, skate, because as Beca was mulling over about how to approach Chloe about what had happened, the universe decided to throw her smackdab in the middle of Beca's way. Here she thought she was the only one with a special spare key and allowed to skate late night at the Ice House. It looked like Chloe was now added to that very exclusive list.

Chloe was right in the middle of the rink, skating in circles, looking deep at thought. She only stopped when she saw Beca tentatively skating to where she was.

"I guess even the universe is getting tired of me hiding from you," Beca started, sounding incredibly nervous. "I, well, sorry for being weird. I just, you know, I know you said that you just wanted to surprise me, but then everyone's talking about it asking what it meant, and I'm not even clear as to what it even meant, or if you're just, you know, trying to out-surprise me or the crow or something," Beca went on, spewing out her entire thought process.

Chloe, for her part, stayed still and patiently listened. Her brows knitted together, looking at Beca incredibly confused, and Beca felt like her main point was getting lost because of her clumsy effort at getting to the point.

"I just, I worry about what it means, and what would happen to our friendship, you know if you do consider me as a friend, or of what happens to our coach-mentee relationship or…"

Beca's breath hitched, as she stopped midsentence, losing whatever little confidence she had mustered when she saw Chloe in the middle of the rink. One moment, Chloe was standing confused, listening to her ramble on, the next she had already skated the distance between her and Beca, her hand gently cupping her face as she leaned in to place a soft kiss on Beca's lips.

It felt like her brain just melted and all thought processes ceased to exist. Honestly, that should have been Beca's clue number one.

"Am I wrong?" Chloe whispered as she slowly pulled away. Her hands finding its place on Beca's waist.

"No," Beca replied with a shaky breath. She found the truth had eased up the heavy weight that had been sitting on her chest that she didn't even realize she was carrying. It was like an admission to a truth that had set her free.

Chloe smiled lightly at her, and Beca felt encouraged to keep talking. The whole truth thing made her feel like she was finally set free to fly. "I've never been in love or you know, in any romantic relationship or something, so I wouldn't really know, or…"

Beca was once again interrupted, this time with Chloe's laugh. A part of her was disappointed that it wasn't another kiss. "What's so funny?" Beca pressed on.

Chloe simply shook her head. "Doesn't matter," she replied, leaning in once more to capture Beca's lips in her own. Suddenly, Beca's disappointment was whisked away.

"Stop thinking Mitchell, just embrace the feeling. Be you, be free," Chloe then whispered against her lips, her words having a pronounced effect in her.

She's always used her head, and often got stuck in the prisons of her own mind. While she was all a nervous wreck of limbs moving about, red as beet as Chloe once again kissed her, she's never felt more like herself, more free, more _her_.

Her feelings were a part of who she was, and embracing them for once without overthinking made her care less about what the world thought too.

She still felt like she was living a dream.

And if it was, she most definitely did not want to wake up.


	12. On Thin Ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca competes in the Rostelecom Cup Short Program, Amay makes some observations, and Aubrey hears Chloe make a strange request

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here's chapter 12 featuring Beca's next event.

The last couple of weeks were the very definition of a roller coaster ride for Beca. It was time to kick it into high gear, with her second event, the Rostelecom Cup, looming near. She worked hard with Chloe, perfecting her routines, mastering new jumps in such a short amount of time. Every now and then Chloe would drop a comment about Beca's impressive stamina that would then turn her into a fumbling mess. Mostly because of the recent developments between her relationship with Chloe, not that they had much chance to actually live out any sense of romance. Slowly, Beca felt more and more comfortable letting Chloe in. She'd drop her defenses more and more, and – although Jesse and Luke teased that she always wore her heart on her sleeves anyways – she was finding it easier to trust the redhead with it.

She could feel herself bloom. Under Chloe's tutelage and with Chloe's love, she started to feel invincible.

But that was back at home.

The Rostelecom Cup, formerly called the Cup of Russia, was held at Moscow. From the get go, the atmosphere of the competition felt entirely different than how it was with the Cup of China where Beca felt herself surrounded with friends. She saw a few familiar faces, some acquaintances in Jessica, a former US skater who trained alongside her former coach, Benji, along with two of her skaters competing in the Juniors division, with Ashley, her fiancée, with her. They promised to catch up later – although Beca wasn't sure when later would be with all of their hectic schedules – with the two wishing her luck in the competition. She had also caught a glimpse of Aubrey, who was competing in the same event, but the blonde was too focused on the competition, her game face already on. Aubrey had already won the silver medal in Skate Canada, and she was hoping to win another one – if not actually win the gold – in this event. But the competition was stiff.

There was a heavy and crazy media presence surrounding their hotel and the competition center. For one thing, three of their main competition for the event were Russian homegrown talents, all young and agile with a variety of quads under their belt, ready to rip the competition into shreds. There was also all the talk surrounding Chloe and Beca and their undefined relationship under the public eye. Being in Russia for a figure skating competition highlighted the controversy of Chloe's kiss to surprise Beca after her free skate during the Cup of China. Chloe also had a lot of fans in the country, and it didn't help the scrutiny that Beca was already receiving for "stealing Chloe away" or so they claim.

Chloe would be the first one to make sure she was wearing her headphones whenever she caught wind of any talk about her or about them. She already knew how it made Beca feel and Beca was most definitely thankful about that. Shutting out the noise was all she could do to keep her focus on what was truly important.

It also helped that a few big names in figure skating were present in the event. Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan distracted most of Russia's paparazzi. There was also Bumper who drew attention to himself while Aubrey pretended she didn't know him or that they didn't share the same coach. Last but not the least was the woman that Aubrey named her biggest competition, especially after she took home the gold medal in Skate Canada. Luisa was her name, a German skater who have been trailing behind Aubrey and Chloe for years. She's been growing a steady base of followers who dubbed themselves Das Sound Machine – being that Luisa was known to make her own music for her performances because she had to have control over her music, her costume, her choreography, and everything – and she was their Kommissar. Beca remembered seeing her a few times from the last Grand Prix Finals and even during the Worlds, but they've had very little interaction so far. All she knew was that Chloe couldn't stand her.

Since they arrived at Moscow, her own progress as a skater and the blooming relationship between her Chloe, their quiet moments in the skating rink, and the simple life in her hometown, it all felt like a distant dream when faced with the clashing egos and personalities that surrounded her in the event, alongside all the talks and rumors about her. It was honestly a surprise that she hadn't gone crazy just yet or had another breakdown.

It helped that Chloe was her steady ground.

"GOOD LUCK SHAWSHANK!" Amy yelled, breaking through her thoughts as she waited for her turn for the short program. How Amy managed to sneak in a small-sized megaphone with her so that Beca could hear her cheer for her was beyond her, but she was thankful for the support. Emily was busy, and Jesse had a recital, but she knew they were wishing her well too. Cynthia Rose and Denise had organized another watch party at the rink, with their humble projector set-up. She got a message from Flo and Benji that morning too. Even Luke sent her a simple greeting. Other than Chloe, she knew she had the support of her family, her friends, and her whole town behind her that no matter what awaited her, she was ready to fight.

She wasn't going to back down anymore.

She was going to win.

Beca took a deep breath. She knew she had something to prove, but not to them, not to the crowd. She knew she had nothing to prove to her friends and Chloe either.

This was just between who she was back then, and who she was becoming.

So even with the whole world watching, she wasn't going to back down now.

* * *

Amy felt proud of herself for managing to convince Luke to do a double duty and cover her shift at her won bar – make sure that her employees are hard at work without her and all – and come to Moscow to support Beca for her competition.

There were other perks too, such as meeting gorgeous figure skaters from all around, including her current catch, Bumper, but that's an entirely different story.

The competition was most definitely heating up, Amy could tell. She nearly had to contain herself once or twice when she heard Beca's name mentioned in a condescending tone. The only thing that stopped her was the fact that she couldn't argue in Russian and she wasn't entirely sure if the people possibly badmouthing her bestie could understand her. She had to admit, the German man-servant looking Pieter – or was it Peter? Pietro? She couldn't remember his name – the self-proclaimed right hand man of the first skater for Beca's group, some lady they called Luisa, aka, the Kommissar, was getting under her nerves. It wasn't the sexy German accent. It wasn't even how they acted like that no skater in the competition was worth Luisa's time. It was how he commented that Beca was just lucky, that's why she got this far, and Chloe was about to wash out anyways so it was perfect she quit before Luisa served her with her perfect moves.

So maybe Amy couldn't help the smirk that formed on her lips, one worthy of Beca Mitchell, when his jaw dropped as Beca pulled off her new set of routines. Chloe had explained to her that she's been working with Beca to slowly increase the difficulty of her jumps for her programs, also slowly moving more and more jumps to the end of her bestie's program as she noted that one of Beca's strengths was her impeccable stamina.

Amy herself watched in awe. Every time Beca took the ice this season, she couldn't help but notice her grow more in confidence – and dare she say, see her eros levels increase off the charts with her short program? – and she couldn't help but marvel at Chloe's own genius and ability to bring the best out of Beca. She still hasn't gotten used to seeing Beca skate like she's never skated before, reaching new levels of awesomeness in every competition. The crowd fell silent, and those who hated her for "stealing Chloe away" from the competition seemed to have lost their tongues as the crowd who did support Beca grew wild.

There were only a few hundred of them who did, but nevertheless they made sure their support could be heard. Beca waited for her score at the kiss and cry, and Amy could see that the German she-wolf's supporters all looked worried when Beca's score was announced. Another personal best for her shorty, although she was still two points short of beating the Kommissar who remained on top. As soon as her scores were announced, the second group of her detractors, those who simply disliked Beca because of what her true relationship with Chloe may be, were silenced when the redhead knelt and placed a kiss on Beca's skates to show how proud she was of Beca's accomplishments.

_Red really knows how to grind their gears, huh,_ Amy thought to herself as she could feel the animosity growing deep within some of those that surrounded her. But they can't do much of anything. Chloe's made her decisions, and she clearly couldn't care less what they might think. Beca herself looked stunned and if anything, Beca's inability to hide what she felt was a clear tell that she most definitely did not steal Chloe in any sense of the word. It was Chloe who chose her.

At the corner of the rink, she could see Aubrey animatedly telling them off and – Amy wasn't entirely sure, but she could guess from how the blonde was gesturing to the two of them – told them to watch her pull of her perfect agape. Amy couldn't help but chuckle. It looks like Beca wasn't the only one who did some growing.

* * *

"Did you really have to do that?" Aubrey asked sounding a little bit irked at Chloe's antics once they ahd the chance to reunite and talk. Aubrey slayed with her short program, but after Beca's flawless skate and that infuriating German's self-absorbed performance, Aubrey found it difficult to evoke agape and only landed in third after the short program. Chloe nevertheless was proud of her and how far she had gotten.

Aubrey could tell that her best friend was genuinely happy. She more than just enjoyed being Beca's coach, she could tell. It wasn't as if she was out of the loop either. The two of them text all the time and skype whenever they could. Aubrey couldn't help but feel happy for her, almost slipping that she was proud of what Chloe managed to accomplish with Beca. She caught herself in time, however, and manage to restrain herself from giving her competition any praises. She would never admit out loud that she was starting to come around the munchkin and how she's bringing out a certain kind of light she hasn't seen in her best friend that she hadn't seen in her for decades.

Chloe simply shrugged. "It shut them up, didn't it?"

"Oh, you just like being dramatic," Aubrey noted. "Where's the hobbit anyways?"

"Oh, her dad called. She went out to talk to him, she had terrible reception here," Chloe replied.

Aubrey was about to respond when she saw Beca running towards them with a worried look on her expression. She dragged Chloe to a secluded corner to talk and before long Aubrey herself was whisked away by her coach to do some interviews. She finally saw Chloe once again when she rushed towards John with Beca close behind her. Chloe had an unreadable expression on her face that Aubrey wasn't entirely sure how to properly react when she asked John a favor.

"Please, just for tomorrow," Chloe had said, "please be Beca's coach."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize I haven't really done cliffhangers in this fic as much as my old ones… huh
> 
> Anyways, you'll know what it's about next chapter. You'll also know how Beca does in this competition in the next one!


	13. Skate of Horror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca skates her Free Program without Chloe, Aubrey does a nice thing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title of the chapter isn't that encouraging, eh? Hang tight! There's a cute scene at the end!
> 
> Also, uploading this on my usual upload schedule because 1) the upload last night was just a bonus one and 2) I felt bad knowing I'll be leaving y'all with a cliffhanger.

Beca could feel her nerves getting the best of her yet again. For once in the last couple of months, she could feel just how slippery the solid ground beneath her feet was. Her foundations were after all made of ice. Having Chloe by her side was what steadied her, what helped her find her balance. But she was there alone in that moment, skating towards the middle of the rink, surrounded by a crowd made up of people who, for the most part, didn't want to see her succeed.

But she had to let Chloe go, what else could she do?

Beca remembered the phone call she got from her dad, the news that Mocha, Chloe's dog, had gotten into a batch of sticky buns that he was preparing and some had gotten caught in his throat. It wasn't looking too good for the moment and Chloe's poodle needed surgery. Beca knew just how much he meant to Chloe, how she had gotten her as a present from her grandparents when she was younger. It was just like how her mom got Vanilla for her. So Beca, in that instant of a second, made the decision. Chloe had to go back home. Beca herself was competing in a competition when her own Vanilla died. She didn't get to say goodbye. She didn't want that for Chloe.

Beca took her position on the ice, waiting for her music to play. She could remember the shocked look on John's and Aubrey's faces last night when Chloe made her own decision. She accepted Beca's proposal, for her to go home, after having a brief argument. It was clear that Chloe didn't want to leave her alone, but Beca wasn't having it. So Chloe settled for the next best thing. Rather than having Beca be herself, she asked John's help in making sure she doesn't crumble under the weight of the competition.

In a shocking turn of events, he spent all but a minute to examine Chloe's own reactions and agreed. Perhaps it was because of the length of time they've known each other that he knew Chloe wouldn't be asking him this favor if it wasn't because of an important matter.

The music starts playing, and Beca moves almost automatically. She knew her routine by heart and lived everyday of her life the past couple of months listening to the music of both her programs. She knew every note, what they meant and signified. She knew every jump and spin and when to do them to maximize the difficulty of her program in every stage.

But her mind was clouded by thoughts of Chloe and Mocha and in the end it cost Beca her first jump. She managed to land her quad salchow but slipped a little on her landing. She ended up touching the surface of the ice to steady herself.

_Snap out of it, Mitchell,_ Beca chastised herself and focused. She couldn't leave much room for error. Not with the homegrown talent ready to challenge her for a spot in the finals. Not when Aubrey had given it her all, and not when the Kommissar was still about to perform. She couldn't slip now and let all the hard work disappear.

She needed to place in this competition, even if it was just a bronze medal, to secure her qualification. Otherwise, she would be leaving too much up to fate, and she can't have that.

No, this will not be her last skate.

The rest of her performance went by smoothly. One of her last quads turned into a triple, but at least she landed it cleanly. It left points off the table but Beca hoped her components score would be high enough that she could still get a good score.

The kiss and cry didn't feel the same without Chloe. John sat stiffly waiting to hear for Beca's scores. Combined with her short program, she was currently third, with Luisa about to start the final performance.

Her hands balled into a fist as she bit her lip, trying to stop herself from crying. She already knew she would miss the podium. But her combined points from earning silver in the Cup of China and placing fourth in her current event would be enough for her to qualify. The NHK trophy was still a week away from finishing, there weren't any serious contenders in the ladies division to jump over her as none of the competitors had finished on the podium in their previous events. There was a Japanese skater, however, that finished fifth in Skate Canada and could easily win gold at home ice. If that happened, they would earn the same amount of points. In that case, the person going through would be the one with the best combined scores. Beca was confident that hers were high enough to be out of reach, but the anxious part of her felt uneasy at the thought that her main competition would have a record-breaking skate of a lifetime and beat her scores.

John cleared his throat. "That wasn't bad, but not good either. You'll probably qualify so don't panic and just focus on the finals," he said as he ushered Beca on.

"Bu-" Beca was just about to argue.

John looked at her exasperated. "Chloe Beale was the best skater I ever had the privilege of coaching. Don't let her sacrifice of a year of her skating in her prime go to waste. She's put a lot of hard work on you, and I don't doubt that you'll make it through. No 'buts' or excuses from you. I still need to beat my favorite student in the finals."

Beca looked at her stunned and almost chuckled at the thought that John would want to beat Chloe as a coach with Aubrey as his skater. But it did, strangely enough, brought her some comfort at the thought that he could already see Beca in the finals.

* * *

Aubrey was in a strange kind of mood. She finished in second, yet again, to the most obnoxious German skate that she had ever met. Twice, she had bested her this season. She couldn't let Luisa win again. The finals were hers.

And then, of course, there was the matter of Beca. After the event, Beca had been so worried about – Aubrey guessed – everything that she could only guess the relief she felt when Chloe called her telling her updating her about Mocha – she overheard the conversation because the damn munchkin dragged her into the call and she put Chloe on loudspeaker – and telling Beca how proud she was of her.

"You did great too, Bree," Aubrey heard Chloe throw in when she remembered that she had been with Beca. She went on to soothe Beca's worried about the finals and as soon as she had said that, it was like a damn had broken and the hobbit just jumped up from where she was slouching off and grabbed John who was right next to her for a hug. Aubrey slipped a few feet away while Amy came rushing, supposedly sneaking in the competitors only area, in time to receive a hug from Beca which she enthusiastically returned. Beca had then went on to go on a "hugging spree" around the were they were in, even hugging the three Russian protégés who thought they were better than everyone else, the Kommissar who looked surprised at the sudden interaction that she started calling after with a stupid nickname – _meine kleine maus_ – and then proceeded to chase after Aubrey for a hug.

Aubrey was sure she could out run Beca Mitchell. She was wrong.

It was the evening after the event and Aubrey wasn't in any particular type of celebratory mood. She opted to stay in that evening before a text message from Chloe prompted her to go on a side quest and then start looking for Beca, who was also not in any particular celebratory mood or so Amy claimed when Aubrey ran into Beca's Australian best friend.

"Where are you going anyways? Shouldn't you be with Beca?"

"I have learned long ago that sometimes letting her be is for the best," Amy gave as a wise response, "Besides, I can't keep my men waiting."

Aubrey decided not to press any further with that comment and excused herself. Walking around Moscow in the middle of November was quite a sight, with snowflakes falling softly on the ground, and the hustle and bustle of the city breathing life to a scenery that almost reminded Aubrey of New York, if not for some distinct architectural features and tourist sights. She soon found Beca on a bench a few blocks away from their hotel, her headphones on.

Aubrey slumped down the space next to her placing the paper bag she had been carrying since she left the hotel right next to Beca. The action caused her to look up at Aubrey in surprise. "What's in the bag, Posen? Should I be concerned?"

"No," Aubrey huffed, trying to sound irritated. In truth, she was warming up to her rival a little. It helped that she was impressed by her selflessness, choosing to let Chloe go and placing her needs and feelings first even if it meant jeopardizing her chances at reaching the Grand Prix Finals. But she would never admit that to Mitchell.

"Pierogi?" Beca asked, looking at the contents of the paper bag confused.

"Take one out and take a bit in it. I didn't try bossing the entire kitchen staff at the hotel to make this – upon Chloe's request, of course – for you to just stare at it as it gets any colder."

"You didn't poison this, right?" Beca teased and Aubrey grumbled, grabbing one herself and taking a bite out of it. Beca chuckled and took a bite out of one herself, the first bite surprising her.

To be honest, it surprised Aubrey too. At first she thought Chloe was insane when she asked Aubrey to get the kitchen to make a katsudon inspire pierogi, but it was actually pretty good.

"What's this for?" Beca asked even more confused but nevertheless taking another bite out of it.

Aubrey sighed. "I'm pretty sure Chloe would have done this herself, taking you around to see the sights after the event since you didn't get the chance when you got here," she replied. "Besides, no one should be alone for their birthday."

Beca stopped downing pierogis for a second – she was halfway through her second one, to Aubrey's surprise – and smiled gently at pierogi, undoubtedly thinking about Chloe. Aubrey smiled herself – only very briefly – before looking up at the dark skies above them. "You might want to slow down, hobbit, you wouldn't want to choke now and miss the finals because of it. Besides, I promised Chlo you'll get back to her in one piece."

Beca chuckled. "Thanks, Posen. You're not half bad," she went on to say.

"On second thought, keep eating, Mitchell. You end up saying strange things when you're mouth isn't full. Don't forget, I'm still you're rival," she replied.

Nope, she most definitely will not admit the same thing.

Maybe after she's won the gold and she gets to rub it in Chloe's face. But not for now.

* * *

Chloe couldn't keep herself still. She wanted to start pacing back and forth in the waiting area of the airport. If security would allow her, she would be just outside the gate ready to greet Beca. But alas, that wasn't the case.

She didn't want to leave Beca, but she could see in the younger girl's eyes, that it wasn't up for any debate, and now Chloe was getting antsy. She was worried about Mocha when she left, but she was also worried about Beca. While her worries about her dog, who was now as chipper as ever patiently waiting for Beca with her, had been assuaged, her worry for Beca still persisted. She could only guess how Beca was feeling about the results of the Rostelecom Cup and how she won't be able to sit still until the NHK Trophy was over, and Chloe couldn't help but think that she should have been there with her, or that things could have been better if she was actually there. But she was also thankful Beca had decided to let her go. Chloe knew she would have been distracted otherwise and that wasn't what Beca needed.

Mocha perked up, catching Chloe's attention and breaking her out of her thoughts. As she looked up, she saw Beca stopping on her tracks, surprised to see her waiting for her at the airport.

_Dummy, of course I'd be here, why would she be so surprised about it,_ Chloe thought as she got up and raced her dog to reach Beca, arms open for a ready and waiting hug.

The impact felt like a fresh wave of cool water from the ocean, hitting her right in the chest, knocking the wind out of her. It soothed her sole and washed her worries away. It just felt right, holding Beca in her arms, the younger skater resting her forehead on Chloe's shoulders, and wrapping her arms around her too.

No words truly needed to be said. They had missed each other, and now they were both home in each other's arms. The moment couldn't get any better.

"Chlo?" Beca squeaked as she pulled her impossibly closer. "Promise me you'll always be my coach? That we'll keep winning together. Be my coach forever?"

And Chloe smiled. Beca was proved her wrong and surprised her yet again. "Careful, Becs. That sounds like a marriage proposal," she teased.

But it went without saying that the answer would be yes.

Chloe knew that there was no other place she would rather be than be by Beca's side.


	14. Exhibition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca and Aubrey gear up for the GPF and practice their exhibitions for the gala

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, regular upload schedule is on Mondays. I'm just feeling inspired and finishing updates early that's why I'm updating the fic early.
> 
> That's said, this is actually an OG chapter of the fic inspired by some of the extra/after credits scene of the anime. Links to the scenes in question are listed below.

"Are you sure this is what you really want to do?" Chloe remembered asking Beca when she first told her what she had in mind for her exhibition program for the Grand Prix Finals. As Chloe expected, Beca made it to the finals, with the no one remotely coming near her scores from the NHK Trophy, and her main threat only landing fourth, the surmounting pressure of the competition getting the best of her.

Beca had a determined look in her eyes and gave her a firm "yes" as her response. Chloe had no choice but to oblige. She didn't think she'd have to skate her free program from the previous year again, much less with Beca and adopting it to a pair skate, but in a way, she couldn't help but think it fitting.

Beca did skate the same routine on her own as her supposed swan song to figure skating. It was the video that Stacie sent to her in the first place.

And in a way, it was also fitting that Beca gets to perform this year in the exhibition gala, no matter what after she had feigned ill last year thanks to her disastrous result. Thinking back, it was the Gran Prix Final from the previous year that started it all. Going back to the stage – despite the finals being hosted in Barcelona this time around – that gave Beca her lowest of lows and conquering it all would be poetic end to this season's journey.

Beca's grown over the span of time she spent with Chloe and Chloe couldn't help but admire the resilience buried underneath all the nerves and anxiety she carried around with her. It put a smile on her face as she watched Beca practice her part for their routine. She had grown to be more confident and resilient without sacrificing that special kind of vulnerability she displayed on ice with her performance.

Chloe was brought out of her thoughts after Beca landed a quad toe, the younger skater looking at her curiously as she skated towards Chloe. "Are you okay, Chlo? You've been awfully quiet. You usually have a lot of notes with my technique."

"Hmmm," Chloe replied, trying to scramble for a response. It was not often that she was caught speechless but it couldn't be helped. Her mind had wondered on days gone past, with thoughts of Beca and their shared experiences from the final last year. It was like she had gone in a trance, watching Beca skate, and soon she was too distracted to notice what was actually happening right in front of her.

It can't be helped that her feelings for the girl had been growing and while Chloe could do _some things_ about it, she had to be patient when it came to certain _other things_ , as Beca's nerves and anxiety had now made itself evident in her personal life, what with her lack of any experience in relationships and romantic entanglements.

Still, the mind wonders, and Chloe was human after all.

Chloe cleared her throat and whisked away any impure thoughts trying to sneak in her mind and begun to note what she could recall from the brief period of time when she was actually focused on watching Beca practicing her routines.

As she went on, it seemed that Beca herself became distracted and all of sudden Chloe felt her fingertip brush gently against an old scar on her forehead.

Chloe feigned her own insecurities before Beca started frantically spewing out apologies. _There you are,_ Chloe thought to herself. It couldn't be helped. While Beca grew more confident on ice, embracing her eros within along with her displaying her own heart for the world to see, she did miss the fumbling, mumbling, red-faced mess that was Beca when they first started their journey together.

Beca looked at her a little indignant as soon as Chloe started laughing. "Not funny,"

"Why the sudden curiosity over it though?" Chloe found herself asking.

"I just," Beca started to say before pausing for a moment. She looked like she wanted to try and find the right words to say without sounding too intrusive about anything.

"When I was a kid, back when I was learning to skate, I tried a jump I wasn't ready for and slipped and fell on the ice," Chloe then said, beating Beca to the point. She was sure she wanted to know how she got it and Chloe's always been coy about it when asked in interviews in the past. Beca looked scared for a moment but Chloe simply just smiled. "It could have been worse, but I was stubborn, I think you ought to know that by now. I wanted to conquer the ice, to beat and prove it wrong. No, gravity doesn't exist for me here!" Chloe went on to say with a determined tone and Beca chuckled.

"That's why I told myself, one day, on the ice, I'll fly. I'll break free from gravity's hold, and I did. I found a freedom that could compare to nothing else on earth," she went on, closing the distance between her and Beca. She placed a hand on Beca's hips, and the other brushing against her cheek before tilting her head up to meet her gaze. "And then I find someone else skating on my domain, surrendering herself to the music, and losing herself I the movement of her routines on ice. Why, what else can I do but try to ensure that her freedom is untethered by her fears?"

Beca blushed, visibly gulping before gathering the confidence to flip the tables around. She grabbed both Chloe's hands as she led her to the center of the rink. "Show me then, that freedom you talked about. Skate with me Chlo,"

"Always," Chloe happily replied as the two resumed practicing their routine for the exhibition gala.

* * *

"This… this is not what I expected her to be skating to…" Bumper found himself saying at the edge of the rink. Stacie shared her home rink in New York with all of John's students, her coach being a close friend of the once legendary figure skater.

Stacie chuckled as she casually leaned on the railing of the rink. Lilly pressed play just a few seconds ago to start the piece that Aubrey had selected for her exhibition program at the finals. She keenly watched as Aubrey let herself loose and skated to the most unexpected piece she could have ever picked.

"I mean, I didn't even know she listened to stuff like this, you know?" Bumper went on, but Stacie ignored him. Lilly, for her part simply looked amused. The song had a punk rock vibe to it and yet Aubrey herself choreographed a program that could perfectly match it. It wouldn't be too outside the box, Johnny Weir skated to Lady Gaga in some of his exhibition performances and made it look amazing. It was just surprising to see Aubrey pick something like the song she selected because of her own personality. Uptight, a little snobbish – she was one of those skaters who kept picking classical pieces too.

_Welcome to the madness,_ Stacie thought to herself, watching Aubrey look like she was actually having fun on ice. She couldn't help but think this may have been thanks to Chloe and Beca's own influence, her little rivalry with that ever evolving Beca Mitchell. It seemed to her that Aubrey had found a kind of creative release, some sense of freedom, now when she skated.

It of course meant that Stacie had to accept the fact that she might not even place in the finals she had also qualified for, but a part of her had already accepted that. All she could do now was skate her best skate to honor her competitors and their greatness.

Besides, while the competition was stiff, the podium was still up for grabs. For once in five years, the winner hasn't been ascertained. Chloe Beale had left her throne for anyone brave enough to try to reach it.

Only one thing was for sure.

This year's finals would be amazing.

And Stacie was definitely looking forward to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Pt2: And here are the links to youtube. Imagine that Yuri and Viktor’s pair skate are Beca and Chloe’s while Yurio’s is Aubrey’s. Enjoy!
> 
> YuriXVictor “Stand by Me” Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CbGrQFDPYA
> 
> Yurio’s “Welcome to the Madness” Skate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyk86I9XOE4
> 
> PS: If you’ve watched the OG anime this was based on, next chapter will be have THAT dinner scene with the skaters’ camera roll XD


	15. About the Last Banquet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca and her friends enjoy the sight of Barcelona before the start of the competition; a surprising incident is brought up regarding the GPF Banquet from the previous year

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here's chapter 15!
> 
> Enjoy! :)

Barcelona was truly a gem of a city. Beca couldn't help but be grateful of her luck that she made it to the Grand Prix Finals, one that was being hosted in such a beautiful city, and that she got to live it with the people she loved the most.

Luke volunteered to hold the fort at the ice house, and promised to host their usual competition special viewing while Beca's dad and step mom were kept busy at the inn back home. This meant that Denise and Cynthia Rose were free to join them in the trip and give Beca their support in person. The two were currently roaming the city, enjoying some much needed time off. Jesse and Amy also made it. Amy was kept busy with God knows what but promised to join them for dinner later that evening. Jesse in the meantime decided to explore the city by himself.

Beca and Chloe were kept busy with practices and final preparations before the short program the following day. There were plans made to catch up with old friends in the competition, with Chloe making sure Beca got some decent amount of rest too. Emily managed to snag a pass to watch some of the practice sessions with her mom, and the skating Legacy was incredibly excited to watch the finals live, promising she'll make it there some day herself.

Beca took in the sights and listened to Chloe go on and on about the city. She's visited Barcelona twice now, and new a lot of the good places to eat and shop and served as her personal tour guide now that she's had a bit of time off from the competition. Each of them had about at least four to six shopping bags filled with goodies and trinkets they bought for everyone and for themselves, and Beca was feeling tuckered out already by the time midday rolled in. Chloe was going on about dropping by the hotel for a nap before meeting everyone for dinner but Beca insisted that she still wasn't done shopping. She's already bought all her friends and her dad – and yes even the step-mom – gifts but haven't found Chloe the perfect one yet.

And she had to get Chloe something, a perfect gift to show how much she appreciated all that she's done for her. Beca found the perfect store while the two sat down on a bench to take a few minutes break.

"Where are you heading to? Wait, Beca!" Chloe called back. As soon as Beca spotted the store, she couldn't help but make a mad dash towards it. By the time Chloe caught up to her, she had found the perfect gift and was finishing payments. Chloe stared at her curiously but Beca simply shrugged in response as the clerks prepared to package it up.

In a way, she was happy that Chloe didn't get to see what she got. The redhead did, however, tried her hand at guessing what it was as she browsed the jewelry store while Beca waited for her gift.

The rest of the day had been more peaceful than anything. Beca managed to stave off Chloe's curiosity as they made their way back to the hotel to drop of their shopping bags by distracting her with questions about some tourist spots. The plan for a nap had been forgotten with Beca's sudden brilliant idea of visiting the Sagrada Familia before meeting their friends for dinner.

In Beca's defense, she thought it would be the perfect place to give Chloe her gift. Plus, she missed out on seeing it with Flo the day they arrived because of her jetlag.

She was right though.

And in a quiet corner of the basilica, Beca unveiled the items she had purchased. A matching set of two gold rings for her and Chloe to wear. She emptied the rings from the pouch into her palm and handed one to Chloe before placing the ring she held onto Chloe's right ring finger. Chloe did the same thing with the ring Beca had given her.

The two exchanged rings, sharing looks of love and a silent understanding of a promise between them.

Beca will honor all of Chloe's sacrifices. She will win the Grand Prix final.

* * *

Jesse sat between Beca and Emily, around a large set-up table in one of those hole in the wall kinds of restaurants near the market place. He was having dinner with his friends – Beca, Chloe, Denise, Cynthia Rose, Amy, Flo, Aubrey, and Stacie. Everyone had been chattering about the finals, their own excitement about it, Barcelona, and the exhibition after the contest as well as the banquet.

His eyes were on Beca, watching his anxiety-laden best friend relax for a change. A lot of things have surely changed since the previous year, where Beca looked downtrodden and depressed, wanting to quite skating herself. He smiled to himself, satisfied with the thought of how much she had grown since then, blossoming into one of fine skater all thanks to Chloe's sudden appearance in her life.

"It was different from last year. I was always on my own. Even at the banquet," Beca said, thinking back to the previous year just like Jesse. He saw a soft smile appear on her face and knew that his best friend was looking back on how different things have become since then. "I didn't even have the courage to talk to Chloe," Beca added with a chuckle. Considering her initial reactions when she first met Chloe, Jesse shared the same sentiments that Beca had been undoubtedly feeling.

But then Chloe all but spat her drink, coughing a little afterwards. "Are you seriously telling me you don't remember?"

Stacie chuckled. "I knew should've made this bet," she said, mostly to herself.

"Huh?" Beca asked, confusion settling down on her face.

Stacie smiled mischievously. "At the banquet, you got wasted and started dancing," she replied, looking all amused. "Everyone was watching."

The blood all but drained from Beca's face as she looked incredibly mortified. Jesse was honestly a little bit shocked. This was the first he heard of this, but then again, she knew that Beca couldn't handle her alcohol much. She was usually okay with a drink or two, but anything past three and things start getting interesting.

"Oh please, tell us more," Amy then said, trying to get the details out from Beca's fellow skaters.

"It was the most disgusting thing I have ever seen," Aubrey grunted. She clearly did not welcome the mere memory of the incident. "I got dragged into a dance off. It was humiliating," she went on with a huff.

And suddenly Jesse understood why, despite seemingly having a not so noticeable soft spot for Beca, she was always rather irritated with her.

Beca, for her part sat frozen still, mouth agape as she tried to process the information. "A-a dance off… You're kidding, right? Right?"

"No, no, it's true," Stacie replied with a smile. "I danced too. Things got too raunchy so we ended up going back to my room. We even got the hotel staff to install a pole there."

"A what?" Denise then said, shocked.

"Oh yeah, we totally did. I even danced on the pole and started getting naked," Stacie replied with some sense of pride.

"I'm sorry, did you say naked?" Cynthia Rose asked, trying to follow the story the group of skaters from the previous finals were recounting. "How did they even install a pole in such short notice? On second thought, why would they think it was totally normal?"

"I still have videos if you want to see," Chloe then chirruped, bringing her phone up.

If there was a moment in the middle of the whole bizarre exchange that Jesse saw Beca's spirit leave her body, it would be that moment.

"Red, how dare you keep this away from us?!" Amy exclaimed as she rushed out of her seat and made her way towards Chloe, who happily handed her phone over. Cynthia Rose and Denise all but scrambled towards the said phone to watch the videos. Emily too. But Jesse quickly pulled Emily away.

"I think you might be too young for this," he said before turning his attention to the video, doing his best to shield Emily from the debauchery.

"Don't worry, I have videos too, but it's not for the faint of heart," Stacie then piped up, showing her phone to Flo all while Aubrey started lecturing her to hide her phone away.

Flo gasped. "Beca, that's so dirty!"

"Yeah, we're gonna have to see that too," Denise, Cynthia Rose, and Amy all but chorused as they rushed over to Stacie's side.

"No!" Beca exclaimed, all flustered as she tried to fight for the phone and Jesse caught a glimpse of the screen where Beca was only in her underwear, brandishing a bottle of champagne, its contents pouring all over her and Stacie while she delicately balanced herself on Stacie, also dancing on the pole in her lingerie.

He returned his attention to Chloe's phone, trying to remove the last image from his memory, flicking through pictures of Beca in a sleek suit, breakdancing on the dance floor, Aubrey trying match the versatility of her movements, but struggling thanks to her cocktail dress. Then he landed on a video of the dance, before switching over to pictures of Stacie only in her lingerie pole dancing with Beca who only had her underwear and her button down shirt on. It was there that Jesse decided to hand the phone over back to Chloe. He'd seen enough.

Jesse could only guess what kind of scene they were making in the restaurant when all of a sudden Flo stepped away from the ruckus over Stacie's phone and gasped. "You guys! You're wearing matching rings!" Flo exclaimed pointing out that Beca and Chloe had a pair of matching golden rings on their right ring fingers.

_How did I miss that?_ Jesse asked himself as he tried to process _everything_ happening around them.

"Oh my, congratulations!" Emily then cheered.

"Everyone! My friends just got married! Congratulations!" Flo then announced throughout the restaurant while Beca was trying to settle everyone down.

The other costumers and the staff, for their part, started clapping along.

"Now wait a damn minute, why wasn't I invited?" Aubrey then piped up.

"Oh Bree, do I need to remind you that you were busy," Stacie remarked with a suggestive tone.

All before Cynthia Rose, Denise, and Amy started making noise for the newlyweds.

"No, no, we're not married, calm down," Chloe then said. "This is just a promise, we'll get married when Beca wins gold."

"Right," Beca then said with a sigh as she slumped back down her seat. The racket of her friends finally dying down. "Wait, what?" she added, turning her attention back to Chloe.

But the atmosphere had changed by then. The mention of winning a gold medal had reignited the flames of competition within the group.

"Hmph, I believe I will be the one winning gold tomorrow," Luisa, the Kommissar, had said, interrupting the tense silence within the group as she showed up with her posse in the restaurant they were in.

"Guess it's time we leave," Flo then said.

"Yep, I'm full," Stacie then added.

"Time to go," Chloe announced, leaving money on the table and pulling Beca along.

Soon Jesse was dragged away by her friends, still stunned as his brain caught up with all that had happened within the last few minutes of their dinner.

On their way back to the hotel, he found himself chuckling to himself.

It would seem that it wasn't Chloe who came onto Beca at all. Going by the pictures and videos, and Chloe's shock at Beca's poor memory of the night, Jesse had the feeling that everything that has happened since then might've been Beca's doing after all.

Whatever was left unsaid during their whole ruckus over the last banquet's festivities, Jesse was thankful it happened and that it had transformed their lives as such.

Hopefully, he'll get to hear the full story someday too.

Preferably without the photographic evidence. Although he had a feeling that Cynthia Rose, Denise, and most especially Amy wouldn't agree to that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Pt 2: Chloe will have a brief POV next chapter that remembers what else exactly happened that night :D
> 
> And here’s a link on Youtube to the slideshow of pictures from the anime… just imagine that they are our beloved pitch perfect crew :D The almost naked blond on the pole would be Stacie’s counterpart and the annoyed looking blond with long hair would be Aubrey’s counterpart.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSyotDF2ClA


	16. With Regards to Love - Eros

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The short program begins! Beca, Flo, and Stacie skates!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Here's chapter 16! I totally forgot to upload this yesterday, woops XP

The morning light filtered through the cracks between the curtains, landing lightly along Chloe's line of vision and illuminated Beca's sleeping face in a way that was almost too angelic.

They had a long day ahead of them, and Chloe wanted to be as prepared for it as possible. About a year ago, she was just another skater, poised for her fifth GPF gold, and Beca Mitchell was just another competitor that Chloe wished to get to know.

Despite not remember anything that night, Chloe was still thankful it happened – and that she had proof of it. It wasn't a dream at all. Beca spoke to her, danced with her, and sure things got a little out of hand, but all the things that rooted them in their respective places, all the reasons and excuses each of them had for not taking the first step towards each other had disappeared.

Chloe tucked a loose strand of Beca's hair as she thought back to that night. Trying to get everything in control, Aubrey started policing Stacie off of the pole and Chloe thought that it was best that she parted ways with her fellow skaters – which pretty much included all of the competitors except for Luisa who didn't get the memo. She took that as her golden chance to help Beca get dressed and aid her back to her room. It took quite the effort to get her to tell her which room she was staying in as Beca mumbled on and on about how she looked up to Chloe from the start, how her family had an onsen inspired inn and that Chloe should totally come and visit, and about how she also had a poodle once.

As they reached Beca's room, the younger skater swayed from side to side, rushing towards the desk and reached for a pen and pad. She managed to scribble down a somewhat legible address of the onsen, as she excitedly shared her own personal experiences with the hot springs and how great it was and that if she came and visit she could also skate by herself in the ice house in their town. She nearly lost her balance as she stood up straight once more, and Chloe had to catch her in her arms and somehow maneuver Beca into bed. She succeeded, but not without being pulled over Beca.

Various thoughts raced through Chloe's head before landing on a quick decision to end the night there. Beca was drunk and while still somewhat awake as she nuzzled right next to her side, was not in the right state of mind for Chloe to take it as her chance and make a move on her. So she gently tried to get herself out of Beca's arms and tucked her in. It was what Beca mumbled as she slowly lost consciousness that stirred something in Chloe.

"Since I wo-won the dance offff… Cwowee, you should be my coach…"

And then the rest was history.

Stacie sent her the video of Beca's attempt to skate her previous free program, Chloe found the inspiration she felt she was lacking, and decided to become Beca's coach.

All in all, it was easier said than done. But the days moved so fast and before she knew it, they were here in Barcelona together.

They had their ups and downs.

But they conquered them all.

Now, it was time for their toughest competition yet.

Still, Chloe knew, that somehow, some way, they'll make it through and conquer this last trial.

Together.

* * *

Beca, with all her luck, had to be first. She just had to be.

She listened as Chloe gave her some final pointers. Her short program for the finals was updated to include a full set of quad jumps, with a quad flip towards the end to maximize her points. If she wanted to compete with Aubrey, who could land with both her hands up and earn extra points from that, and Kommissar who had a full set of quads in her program as well, and difficult combos too.

Beca took a deep breath and took her position at the center of the rink. This was it. The beginning of the end.

As soon as the music started she was off, lost in her own thoughts, in the feelings that Chloe had awakened within her. From her passion for skating, to her desire to win, and Chloe's love. 

She had grown, transformed, and changed.

It had felt like a dream come true.

Every jump she landed was clean, every movement precise and filled with the emotions running deep inside of her.

It couldn't have been more of a perfect program.

Until the quad flip, Chloe's signature jump.

Beca landed with a bit of uncertainty. The sudden realization that she didn't jump high enough and that she might have under-rotated her jump had caught her off guard and she awkwardly fumbled into the start of her step sequence, causing her to almost tumble over, almost touching the ice but still she managed to steady herself.

The disappointed sighs from the crowd were disheartening, but she couldn't lose focus now. She had to make it up.

And she did the best she could to do so.

When her program finished, she fell onto her knees, her hands landing on the smooth and cold surface of the ice.

_Was it enough? That was enough, right?_ Beca thought to herself. It was all she could think off as she met Chloe at the kiss and cry. Her coach did her best to try to cheer her up, trying to explain to Beca how she could still make it up. But her thoughts only focused on the score she might get.

And it happened to be her lowest score for the season. Something she was used to getting a year ago. But not today, not now.

Not in her most important competition yet.

She always did well with her short program. The fact that everything now relied on a flawless skate in her free program rested heavily on her shoulders. And Beca was quite mad at herself about it. She didn't need this added pressure. She already knew how easy she succumbs to it.

She soon joined Chloe with their interview circuit, keeping tabs on Flo's skate from the screens on the hallways and the collective cheers from the crowd. They managed to make their way to the audience side of the stadium when Flo's scores were revealed.

It was close, but thanks to the difficulty of Beca's program, she retained her lead.

When she reached Chloe's side by the audience, Stacie was up. Her skate was flawless from start to finish, and Chloe was transfixed to how she moved on the ice. An amused smile crept up on Chloe's lips. And, while it was a rare occurrence since they started to become closer, Chloe was unreadable at the moment.

Beca turned her attention back to Stacie. Even she could tell that there was a different kind of fire in Stacie's passionate skate. Perhaps it was the knowledge that the throne was up for grabs, that they all felt like they had something to prove in the contest. But in the time since she last competed with Stacie, something had changed. She never skated like that before.

It made Beca wonder what Chloe could be thinking about. When Stacie's score was revealed – it was higher than hers, still within a reachable distance though – and it ended up being a personal best, Beca thought back to when she last caught a glimpse of that smile.

It was back then, when Chloe still competed.

Whenever she saw a worthy opponent to her skate.

And Beca couldn't help but wonder, for the first time since Chloe became her coach, if she ever missed it. The competitive part of skating. Sure, she understood, that Chloe had her reasons. Her being a reason included.

But in that moment, Beca wondered, if Chloe ever regretted anything. She would be in the prime of her career now, and all of it was being spent on her.

Was it really worth it?

Or did she take something away from Chloe?

Was it true?

Did she selfishly keep her all to herself just to make a dream come true?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second half of the short program is up next!


	17. With Regards to Love - Agape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's part 2 of the short program!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now for part 2 of the short program!

The crowd was going wild.

The one contestant Aubrey did not have the pleasure – or in the case of Luisa, great displeasure – of knowing, yet another one of the perfectly crafted Russian prodigies, had just finished her short program.

Including her, Aubrey knew that the competition wasn't an easy one, even without Chloe competing against them. But Aubrey didn't let that get the best of her. She wouldn't think about Chloe now, or that munchkin who fumbled her short program. She's not even going to think about that arrogant, self-absorbed Kommissar who was going to skate to the music of her own composed theme song for her short program.

Her thoughts were solely on her grandmother. The one who cooked her favorite meal before her flight to Barcelona, the one who skyped her the night before to wish her luck. The one who supported her with each and every step of the way, and who helped Aubrey discover her passion and love for skating,

_This one is for you_ , Aubrey thought to herself as she took her place at the center of the ice.

And as soon as her music started, she was off.

Aubrey felt completely lost to the music, clearing her thoughts of anything else. She was skating to the piece with every movement she made coming from her heart. Chloe and Beca and the competition became a distant memory. The only thing that consumed both her heart and mind was her love for skating. The sense of freedom and the happiness being on the ice brought her. Something she had long forgotten and thankfully rediscovered.

She never skated like that before. She's never felt a kind of peace and tranquility settle within her while she skated before.

Before she knew it, she was already taking her final position on ice, her music dying out. The applause and cheers coming from the audience broke through her thoughts as she found herself surprised to be in the middle of the rink, her short program over.

But the even greater surprise came when Aubrey heard her scores. She was in disbelief.

It was a personal best for sure.

But it also shattered the previous record for the highest short program score for ladies figure skating, one held by Chloe for years.

It was then that Aubrey briefly thought about her best friend. She wondered about what Chloe felt about it, about whether or not she was happy for her – of course she was – or if she was surprised herself.

More than that, the thought had finally sunk in that finally, she had caught up to her.

She didn't live in Chloe's shadow any more.

Aubrey jumped up, fist pumping before being escorted by coach away from the kiss and cry, a new kind of confidence simmering beneath her skin.

_I can do this, I can really do this,_ Aubrey thought to herself. _It's no longer just a dream._

_I can actually, truly win._

* * *

The rest of the competition went by smoothly. Beca felt happy for Aubrey for finally finding her agape, and putting on a short program of a lifetime, breaking the record Chloe held for the highest score in the ladies' short. A few unexpected things happened, with Kommissar bottling up her short program, her quads turning into singles, and a performance littered with shaky transitions had landed her on sixth place.

By the end of the event, Beca was in fourth. It wasn't a bad place to be, but she had her work cut out for her if she wanted to reach the podium, much less the gold medal she swore to win. Somehow, Chloe's absence had awakened something in her fellow competitors, especially with Stacie and Aubrey who had years of chasing after her propelling them to their current levels.

After the event, Beca felt a shift inside of her. Chloe remained silent as she watched the performances after her turn, and she remained silent still, looking deep at thought, on their way back to their hotel. There was look in her eyes that Beca couldn't quite shake off when she heard Aubrey's score, as if there was filled with fire and the desire to reclaim what was rightfully hers.

Once again, Beca wondered if Chloe ever missed the thrill of the competition. If she yearned to return to the ice as one of them, to fight for her title and live out the prime of her career as a venerated skater.

Beca did her best to fight off the thoughts of self-doubt, and for the most part she did, but a new feeling had settled dep inside of her, the feeling of guilt.

She wanted to win, make Chloe proud. And she will. She would fight like hell for it, to make the most of the year Chloe had sacrificed for her.

But the more she thought about it, the more she remembered the words of those around her, she felt the guilt more and more.

And the feeling was crushing her.

Because she loved Chloe, and Chloe loved skating, and it didn't sit well with Beca that she might be taking her away from that.

And for what?

And that night, Beca thought she was doing the right thing. With brave face on, she looked Chloe in the eyes and told her of her decision. "After tomorrow, whatever happens, let's end this and you can stop being my coach. I'll retire as a skater, and you can go back."

But her decision brought about a kind of reaction she wasn't expecting from Chloe. The redhead had been completely caught off-guard that tears started streaming down her cheeks. "I mean, you can reclaim your titles and…" Beca tried to explain, doing her best to lighten the mood.

"That's not just your decision to make, Beca!" Chloe replied fiercely as the silent stream of tears turned into full burst of hurt and anger for her sudden decision to retire once more.

To Beca, it was only natural. She had a hell of a run.

It was time to end it. Her pursuit of skating glory.

But she might have been wrong.

In that moment, she realized how many things she was wrong about.

It wasn't just skating she loved, it was skating with Chloe.

And it wasn't retiring and giving up her blades that was the hardest, most painful thing to do.

It was seeing Chloe Beale cry.


	18. One Last Skate?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's chapter 18! I just realized we only have 2 more chapters of this to go…
> 
> Also, look, double upload.

It was the morning of the big event, the free program of the Grand Prix Finals. It was the morning of Beca's final skate.

No, not like the one she showcased to only Jesse and inadvertently filmed by Amy to go viral. This final skate deserved a bigger stage for her to perform in.

This was her final skate before she officially announced her retirement, facing the crowd head on. The final skate after Chloe helped her become the skater she truly was and reach her full potential.

This was the skate where she shows the world who she was, and thanks everyone who supported her along the way. Her family and friends – Cynthia Rose, Denise, Amy, Jesse, and Emily – and Chloe.

This was the skate where she bears all her heart and lays it all out.

All so that Chloe could soon be free.

And this time, her decisions would not be kept a secret to surprise those closest to her anymore either.

"You're an idiot," was Jesse's response, however, while the two went out for an early morning walk, coffee – compliments of the hotel – in hand. It was just the two of them. She had wanted to talk to all her childhood friends, the one who were with her from the start but Amy was nowhere to be found and Cynthia Rose and Denise were still sleeping. The sun was, after all, only about to rise.

Beca stopped on her tracks, confused and slightly offended. She already felt sleep deprived from her argument with Chloe last night. The two slept on the edge of their respective sides of the bed. Chloe was huffing and sobbing the whole night through and Beca was just a wreck. Her idea had backfired, apparently, but she was still set on her decision and was expecting some sort of understanding coming from her friends. But Jesse simply looked exasperated.

"And I share everyone else's sentiments," Jesse stated matter-of-factly. "You've gone a long way, Beca. One bad skate shouldn't affect the progress you've made."

"This isn't about one bad skate," Beca argued.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You already explained your thought process, but one, did you even consider that it sounded like you were breaking up with Chloe and you wanted to end things, and two, that it's Chloe's decision to make whether or not she wanted to go back to figure skating as a skater, not yours."

"I know that, but…" Beca tried to interject, but to no avail.

"Besides," Jesse went on, "even if she decides on it, does it mean she doesn't coach you anymore? I know it may be difficult, but those kind of stuff you talk about with the person you love not just make an adamant decision about!"

Beca looked at Jesse stunned, the realization that she didn't think things through hitting her.

"Fight, Beca. Keep fighting. Skating's your dream too, it's a dream you share with Chloe. Don't find an excuse to give it all up now," Jesse went on to say.

Beca nodded slowly, processing every word he said.

_It doesn't need to be the end, huh._

* * *

Her last skate, she didn't even think about it.

When she skated in the World's, Chloe didn't think that was it. That was her last skate as a competitor.

But it was, and she found that skating had been easy to give up back then, much to her surprise. But seeing how her friends have grown since then, the electricity in the stadium the other day, it all did bring to mind the thought of skating as competitive skater once more.

For Beca's career as a skater to end because of it though, would she be okay with that?

No, no she wouldn't.

Chloe raised her right hand in front of her, the golden ring on her finger glinting from the light of the rising sun. So many questions were running in her head, so many thoughts perturbed her.

Was Beca right? What if retiring was what Beca really wanted regardless of Chloe? Shouldn't she support her? Or was Beca losing faith again? Wasn't it her job to reassure her? But what happens to them if Chloe decides to skate again? What happens to them if she doesn't return? Would she grow resentful?

No, Chloe loved her, she truly did. She loved her beyond reason.

But there was something inside of her that reawakened, her passion for figure skating. The sparks of inspiration returned to her, quite possibly thanks to Beca too. In a way, their decisions and the outcomes of their actions had become all tangled up together and brought about a new kind of fire inside both of them, and within the skaters they competed with, within their friends.

So what to do?

"I can't believe you're really going to marry that munchkin," Aubrey commented, spotting her on a bench outside. They were in a nearby lookout point in the city. Chloe had gone for a walk after Beca silently left, and Aubrey was out for what seemed to be her usual early morning runs. That the two of them ran into each other was mere coincidence.

Or maybe it was Fate.

"Too bad it'll have to wait for a few years."

"You sound too sure of yourself, Bree," Chloe commented, placing her hand back in the warmth of her coat pocket. "The contest isn't over yet."

"Beca's not gonna win this time," Aubrey replied. It was all competitive banter, Chloe knew that, and she missed it.

"Then win," she replied before she proceeded to walk away. "You've ran out of reasons for losing. No more excuses. Congrats on breaking one of my records, but I doubt you'll break any more of them."

"If not this time, I will next year!" Aubrey replied with a grin. Chloe couldn't help but notice a new kind of confidence growing within her. She was happy about that, but couldn't help but think that it was the product of her tangled web of decisions with Beca.

"I don't think so," Chloe yelled back, walking away, the competitive fire inside of her growing.

Decisions. Decisions. She knew that the day couldn't end without her making one.

And while she was filled with so much uncertainty on which one to make, she had faith that she would end up making the right one.

She had to trust in herself that she would.


	19. On My Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca gives her all in her free skate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! It’s been a wild couple of weeks. I hope you’re all staying safe. Work has kept me busy. I live In the US, and luckily my state isn’t as bad as NY or CA with COVID-19 cases, although we do have some. As a research scientist (I have a PhD in chemistry), we fall under mandatory employees (for so many reasons I cannot disclose, so yeas, I still go to work but I only come in when necessary now so there was some last minute preparations to make sure that our progress isn’t cut short. I do hope everyone is staying safe, practicing social distancing, and washing their hands!
> 
> That said, here’s my delayed chapter 19! I’ll try to get 20 up later tonight or, if not, by tomorrow!

This was the end.

Beca wasn’t sure where she stood with Chloe. Things weren’t as warm as they were between them. Beca never really thought about it, but she found a sense of comfort in that warmth as she got on the ice. It was like a nice layer of protection, a certain kind of magic that elevated her and made her feel invincible.

It made her believe in what Chloe had always seen in her.

It gave her the wings to fly.

And now, it was just all cold.

Chloe looked tired, torn, and teary eyed. They were on uncertain ground, just as slippery as the ice. One wrong movement and they would slip. It didn’t help that Beca had always been so clumsy.

But this was the end.

The end to a wonderful journey.

It started with Chloe. In more ways than one. It was Chloe that touched her and inspired her to pick up a pair of skates and pursue the path she was on. It was Chloe she chased after, fueling her desire to win, to pick up each time she slipped. And it was Chloe who offered both her hands to her to help her one last time. To rise again and truly take flight. To fight like she had never fought before.

So this time, Beca was gonna give it her all. Because this was the end.

Her one last skate.

The Kommissar had a good skate to kick things off. Redemptive even. It was clear that she had nothing left to lose. The proud skater was humbled and in the end, it allowed her to turn in a skate that was truly breathtaking, as much as Beca hated to admit it. She may even claw her way for a spot in the podium. Flo’s skate was also flawless and magnificent. No mistakes whatsoever. The stark differences in the difficulty in Flo and Luisa’s programs was evident, however. Thanks to the combined scores from the short and free skates, Luisa’s redemptive free program allowed her to retain the lead. She was the one to beat at the moment.

Beca already knew that Aubrey would land a spectacular skate. She wasn’t about to let her lead go to waste now. She didn’t even want to think about Stacie’s program, much less the Russian prodigy’s.

In a way, Beca truly didn’t. Because if this was her last skate, the last time she would grace the crowd, she told herself that she would let things go. The medals didn’t matter anymore. This was her chance to thank the people who have supported her every step of the way. To thank her fans, to thank her family, to thank her childhood friends and even the new found ones. And most of all, to thank Chloe.

So as Beca’s turn was up, she found the courage to reach out to Chloe’s hands, the ones resting upon the rails that lined the ice rink, separating them, and placed a gentle kiss on the ring on her finger. The one she bought. _Look at me, Chlo. Watch me,_ Beca thought to herself as she met Chloe’s gaze and gave her a reassuring squeeze before taking to the center of the ice. The last look in Chloe’s ocean blue eyes was enough to give her comfort. There was uncertainty, yes, but there was also a kind of softness to them.

A look of love.

This skate wasn’t about winning.

It wasn’t about proving her worth as a skater anymore.

It was a skate to lay her heart on and show her love to the people who loved her in return.

Beca took her place at the center of the ice. She had never felt as calm as she did in that moment.

When the music started to play, Beca started to move on the ice, her thoughts locked on the simple sounds of the piano, the soft caresses on fingers against the keys to produce a sweet and yet humble sound. There was a lot of uncertainty in the first bit, with a growing spark of hope sprinkled in with the short, tentative notes that then accompanied the melody. It was her feelings expressed in nothing but notes. Her story written in musical sheets. It reflected her humble beginnings.

Then came the accompaniment. The piano wasn’t the only musical instrument playing anymore. The sound of percussions started to pepper in and it made Beca smile with the thought of her friends, all while absentmindedly nailing her quad. A quad jump not on her submitted list of jumps, no. Because of course Beca emulated her idol, her love, her coach by changing her jump sets on the very last minute – a decision she landed on just before the start of the competition, literally minutes before Luisa’s skate. It now contained the same level of difficulty as Chloe’s last free program, with the jumps she had then tried to simplify by turning quads into triples in her swan song of a skate meant for Jesse’s eyes only.

This was the best way she believed she could honor and surprise her. Because, yes. She did not tell Chloe. The percussions matched her heartbeat, reminding her of the people who never gave up on her, even when she was ready to give up on herself. They gave her life. The violin started to become more distinct, complementing the piano as it played, reminding Beca of Chloe, of her love. She nurtured her hope and her dream. She made her see what she couldn’t see.

And with every step sequence and every spin, every movement on that ice, Beca could feel the music flowing through her veins, from her toes, to her fingertips, to the top of her head. Every emotion the music evoked ran through her, took over, and gave Beca a sense of freedom and release.

Beca’s program went on marvelously well. She was already halfway through now, most her jumps still reserved towards the end. Again, another little change she decided to make in her split second decision. As the first wave of crescendo hit, Beca landed her quad combo flawlessly, leaving the crowd in awe, gasping and cheering. But that wasn’t what occupied her mind then. She could barely even hear them.

Nothing in that moment mattered to her more than the music of her life, and the skate of her lifetime.

The soft hesitant notes played from the piano reminded her of where she was last year. When she was all but ready to quit after her disastrous debut at the Grand Prix Finals. Every not was like rediscovering a broken piece of her heart, with where she was now reminding her of how much she’s grown since then. It reminded her of her flailing free program in Russia, and her disappointing short program just the other day.

But then the notes picked up a more cheerful tone, building up to a crescendo with the percussions and the violin accompaniment coming back up. Beca could see colors bursting into life, as jump after jump came, landing all her quads and combos neatly. She could feel goosebumps in her skin as she truly felt like she was flying for the mere seconds she spent spinning in the air.

Beca nailed her final jump, Chloe’s signature quad loop, just as the music hit its peak, the second crescendo of the piece, with thoughts of how Chloe built her up, and kept believing in her, fighting for her, with her, every step of the way.

The music slowly died down as Beca entered her final spin. When she hit her pose, the music had come to a halt, and Beca was brought back to reality with a thundering applause. As she took her bows, her eyes scanned the tiny faces from the big stadium in an attempt to find her friends. She couldn’t spot them, but she hoped she did them proud.

As she turned to find Chloe, she saw the redhead had an absolute look of awe on her face, pleasantly surprised by the performance Beca turned in. Beca felt a little smirk tugging on the corners of her mouth when she skated towards Chloe. The two remained silent as they made their way towards the kiss and cry.

The self-satisfied smirk on Beca’s lips quickly disappeared when her jaws dropped upon hearing her score.

It was definitely a personal best.

And yes, it put her in the lead.

But it didn’t just put her in the lead, no. It broke the current record for the highest free program score, previously held by none other than Chloe Beale.

What’s more, the score alone put her back on the map. It meant that she was once again in the running to winning the gold, because no one could possibly top that performance. Kommissar’s free program had the greatest technical difficulty, and from what she’s seen in Aubrey’s program, her best run of it – technical, artistic, and component aspects combined – had no way of reaching that free program score. They were her two greatest threats.

She was in the lead once more. Aubrey would need a flawless skate to secure the win thanks to her own record-breaking short program.

Beca was overwhelmed in that single moment. She had thought it was the end. She only wanted to make the most out of her time left.

Yet here she was. Her dream was alive, constantly finding new ways to get back up and fight.

It may mean that things aren’t over just yet.

But most of all, it meant, to Beca, that nothing was impossible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m no COVID-19 expert, but I do have a rudimentary understanding regarding the virus and the race to find both 1) an effective (symptomatic) treatment and 2) a vaccine (or a curative treatment, one that may need to be administered yearly like the flu vaccine). If you’ve any questions, worries, anxieties, or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m on twitter (@hypersomniacphd) so you can DM me. I also retweet informative articles backed by science and published by trustworthy resources.


	20. Everything on Ice is Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here's the final chapter.

Beca was catching her breath as reached the Bethseda fountain. The daily runs through Central Park before the light of dawn were always fun, thanks to Chloe of course. A year ago, she would think it hell, but so much has happened in a year.

It was still a freezing cold outside, but having lived in snow central most her life, Beca had adjusted well. It was only February, and Beca was already counting the days to see the park in spring time. She let her thoughts wonder as she waited for her friends. She won their little race, so she gets an extra prize at the end from whoever comes in last.

Beca took a deep breath and remembered that day she beat Chloe's record at the Grand Prix final. Chloe immediately pulled her in a tight hug and, in a typical Chloe fashion, told her that Beca made Chloe's work that much harder having to regain two records during the World Championship. It was all Beca needed to hear to know what Chloe's decision was. She would return to the world of figure skating, and try to regain her spot as the undisputed and undefeated skating goddess.

Chloe jogged up to her as she reached the fountain herself, coming in second place. "You're getting faster," Chloe noted a little bit confused. She wasn't lying. Since she moved back to New York with Chloe, for the redhead to return to her home ice where her own coach was, the two have had their little race as part of their morning routine. It's grown the past few weeks, but it was nothing more than a little friendly competition to their work outs.

"I gotta keep you on your toes, Chlo. Besides, five gold medals, five World Championships, right?" Beca threw back, remember the promise they made to each other.

It came down to the wire. A point. One single point that set Beca to win her first silver medal at the Grand Prix Final, with Aubrey winning gold. Kommissar managed to claw her way to third, with Stacie barely missing the podium. It was a close fight, and it was about to get more interesting with Chloe's return, one she announced during the exhibition gala.

And the excitement, the thrill of it. The very thought that Chloe was coming back had started a new kind of flame in Beca. She knew her journey wasn't at its end. Like Jesse said, it didn't need to be.

She didn't let it be, asking Chloe to still be her coach at the end of the medal ceremony.

Chloe jumped up and pulled her into a tight hug. "And we won't quit, no more talk of that!" she had said, and in her own quiet way she had let her know that they were one, a team. "We won't stop until you become a five-time world champion!" Chloe declared. It was a challenge. It was a promise. One that couldn't Beca turn down.

How could she? Chloe herself was the champion for five straight years. In a way, Beca felt herself blush at the thought that Chloe saw her as her equal.

"Please beat her in the Worlds." Stacie said, huffing as she reached the fountain herself. Having shared the same home ice as the two of them, she had learned of their little contest and invited herself to join. She even told Jesse, during a Skype call that Stacie crashed between Beca and her friends back in Colorado – Atlanta with Flo and wherever Emily was too! – that when they come and visit, they're all going for a run. Amy was not amused. Emily was all fired up. Cynthia Rose, Denise, and Jesse weren't quite sure of what to feel. Flo was equally ready for the challenge.

"Should I be hurt that you support Beca more than me?" Chloe asked, pretending to be hurt by the comment.

"I'm just looking forward to your wedding," Stacie then teased, reminding the two of them of a different promise. Beca felt herself turn red as Chloe chuckled. "But for now, it looks like Bree's buying the coffee and one of you gets the blueberry donut at our usual spot?"

"Yup, me," Beca replied all smug.

Just as Aubrey caught up on them, groaning. She had come up last for the fifth time that week.

Beca had also won for the fifth time that week.

"Don't get used to winning, Mitchell," Aubrey had said after she had finally caught her breath and Beca simply shrugged.

She'd like to think that she might.

Sure, she didn't win gold in the last GPF, but it still didn't end badly for her. It only spurred her on.

She'll keep going. She won't stop or give up now.

Because her fate was with Chloe, on the blades, on ice.

With the music, with the freedom, and with the passion for life that skating brought them.

After all, to them, everything on ice is love.


End file.
